Image: Wassily Kandinsky, "The Arrival of Merchants," 1905, Miyagi Museum of Art.
Miyagi Museum of Art in Sendai will present ‘Kandinsky: The World Resonates — Tracing His Career and Reception through Japanese Collections’ from 12 September to 28 October 2026. The exhibition draws on works held in collections across Japan to trace the career of Wassily Kandinsky (1866–1944), whom the museum describes as a painter who opened up abstract painting.
The exhibition addresses Kandinsky’s idea of “inner resonance,” which he considered the essence of art. The museum states that this concept theorised the formation of abstract expression and contained the potential to enable a synthesis of different arts. Kandinsky’s ideas were received in Japan early, and his works were gradually brought to the country. The exhibition will also focus on encounters between Kandinsky and Japanese people.
The works presented follow Kandinsky from his explorations in Munich through the Blue Rider, his return to Russia, his teaching at the Bauhaus, and his mature period in Paris. Among the principal works is ‘The Arrival of the Merchants’ (1905), held by Miyagi Museum of Art, as well as ‘Mirror’ (1907), from Aichi Museum of Art, and ‘Three Linden Trees’ (1908), from the Ishibashi Foundation Artizon Museum.
The works list includes Kandinsky’s 1914 study for ‘Mural No. 4 for E. R. Campbell (Carnival—Winter),’ held by Miyagi Museum of Art. Further listed works include ‘Pointed’ (1920), from the Ohara Museum of Art; ‘Without Support’ (1923), from the Pola Museum of Art; and ‘Segments’ (1929), from the Menard Art Museum.
Also included are ‘Red Passing By’ (1931), held by Utsunomiya Museum of Art; ‘Lively White’ (1934), from Ehime Museum of Art; ‘All Over’ (1940), from the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo; and ‘Two Blacks’ (1941), from the Kagoshima City Museum of Art. The principal works list also includes Tetsugorō Yorozu’s ‘Mental Image Landscape’ (c. 1912–13), held by the Tetsugorō Yorozu Memorial Museum of Art; Kamenosuke Ogata’s ‘Makeup’ (1922), from a private collection; and Yoshifumi Yamaoka’s ‘Spannung’ (1938), from the National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto.
A lecture titled ‘Kandinsky: The World Resonates’ will be given by Toru Matsumoto, deputy director of the Artizon Museum, on 21 September at 2 pm. Taking place in the Art Hall in the basement of the Churyo Sato Memorial Museum, the approximately 90-minute event is free and admits 100 people on a first-come, first-served basis. Curatorial exhibition talks will be held at the same venue at 2 pm on 20 September, 4 October and 18 October.
On 17 October, Yukan Kohiyama, a curator at Miyagi Museum of Art, will deliver the city-centre art lecture ‘Kandinsky’s Impact: What Japanese People Received’ at the Tohoku Institute of Technology Regional Collaboration Center’s Tekurobi Sketch Room. The free event runs from 1:30 to 3 pm, has a capacity of 50, and requires advance registration.
The museum will be open from 9:30 am to 5 pm, with ticket sales ending at 4:30 pm. It will close on Mondays, except 21 September and 12 October, and on 24 September and 13 October. General admission is ¥1,300; student tickets are ¥1,100, and tickets for elementary, middle and high-school students are ¥650.
