The Bizen City Art Museum in Inbe, Bizen City, Okayama, will hold its grand opening on Saturday, July 12, with two special commemorative exhibitions: “Picasso and His Ceramics An Odyssey in Color and Form” and “Bizen Contemporary Ceramic Art: Extraordinary Masterpieces.”
The new museum was built to replace the long-established Bizen City Bizen-yaki Museum. It aims to serve as a fresh cultural hub that promotes the appeal of Bizen-yaki and contemporary ceramics both domestically and internationally, offering a diverse range of artistic experiences.
The first commemorative exhibition, “Picasso and His Ceramics An Odyssey in Color and Form,” focuses on the ceramic works of Pablo Picasso. In 2023, Bizen City signed a sister city agreement with Vallauris, a town in southeastern France famous for its pottery and where Picasso spent his later years. The exhibition will showcase 36 of Picasso’s unique ceramic pieces and 2 linocuts, highlighting his energetic and adventurous spirit in pursuing artistic freedom through ceramics.
The second commemorative exhibition, “Bizen Contemporary Ceramic Art: Extraordinary Masterpieces,” brings together works by artists ranging from Bizen-yaki Living National Treasures to today’s leading talents. The exhibition is divided into two periods: the first runs from Saturday, July 12 to Sunday, September 28, and the second from Saturday, October 11 to Thursday, December 25. Around 80 works by a total of 37 artists — including masters of past generations as well as mid-career and emerging creators—will be displayed. Through these pieces, which inherit the nearly 800-year-old tradition of Bizen-yaki while pursuing new forms of expression, the exhibition reveals the deep and dynamic appeal of contemporary Bizen ceramics where tradition and innovation intersect.
Bizen City Museum of Art
Location: 1659-6 Inbe, Bizen City, Okayama 705-0001, Japan
Opening Hours: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM (Last admission at 4:30 PM)
Closed: Every Monday (open if Monday is a public holiday; closed the following weekday), New Year holidays, and occasional closures for exhibition changes
Access: 1-minute walk from Inbe Station on the JR Ako Line
Phone Number: +81-869-64-1400 (Bizen City Art Museum main line; during the preparation period, contact the Bizen City Cultural and Arts Promotion Foundation office)
Picasso and His Ceramics An Odyssey in Color and Form
Exhibition Period: Saturday, July 12 – Sunday, September 28, 2025
Venue: Bizen City Art Museum, 2nd Floor, Exhibition Rooms 2 and 3
Organizer: Bizen City Art Museum Grand Opening Special Exhibition Executive Committee (Bizen City, Bizen City Cultural and Arts Promotion Foundation, Sanyo Shimbun)
Co-organizer: Bizen City Board of Education
Supporters: Okayama Prefecture, NHK Okayama Broadcasting Station, RSK Sanyo Broadcasting, OHK Okayama Broadcasting, TSC Setouchi Television, RNC Nishinippon Broadcasting, KSB Setonaikai Broadcasting, Asahi Shimbun Okayama Bureau, Mainichi Shimbun Okayama Branch, Yomiuri Shimbun Okayama Branch
Special Cooperation: Yoku Moku Museum
Admission Fee: General ¥1,000; University, vocational school, and high school students ¥500; Free for junior high school students and younger
Discounted tickets are available. Please check the website for details.
Admission with a ticket to this exhibition also grants access to the Grand Opening Exhibition II (First Half), held during the same period.
Bizen Contemporary Ceramic Art: Extraordinary Masterpieces
Exhibition Period: Saturday, July 12 – Thursday, December 25, 2025
[First Half: Saturday, July 12 – Sunday, September 28, 2025]
[Second Half: Saturday, October 11 – Thursday, December 25, 2025]
Venue: Bizen City Art Museum, 2nd Floor, Exhibition Room 1
Organizer: Bizen City Art Museum Grand Opening Special Exhibition Executive Committee (Bizen City, Bizen City Cultural and Arts Promotion Foundation, Sanyo Shimbun)
Co-organizer: Bizen City Board of Education
Supporters: Okayama Prefecture, NHK Okayama Broadcasting Station, RSK Sanyo Broadcasting, OHK Okayama Broadcasting, TSC Setouchi Television, RNC Nishinippon Broadcasting, KSB Setonaikai Broadcasting, Asahi Shimbun Okayama Bureau, Mainichi Shimbun Okayama Branch, Yomiuri Shimbun Okayama Branch
Admission Fees:
First Half: General ¥1,000; University, vocational school, and high school students ¥500; Free for junior high school students and younger
Admission with a ticket to the first half also grants access to Grand Opening Exhibition I during the same period.
Second Half: General ¥500; University, vocational school, and high school students ¥300; Free for junior high school students and younger
Admission with a ticket to the second half also grants access to other special exhibitions.
Discounted tickets are available. Please check the website for details.
