CalendarUpcoming ExhibitionsSpecial Exhibition
M. K. Čiurlionis
The Inner Constellation
- Dates
- Saturday, 28 March - Sunday, 14 June 2026
- Hours
- 9:30-17:30 (Fridays and Saturdays 9:30-20:00)
*Admission ends 30 mins. before closing time - Closed
- Mondays and 7 May（Opens on 30 March and 4 May）
- Venue
- Special Exhibition Wing B2F
- Admission Fees
-
Adults 2,200 yen, college students 1,300 yen, high school students 1,000 yen
- * Admission is free for junior high school students and under.
- * Disabled visitors admitted free of charge, with one attendant.
- * College students, high school students and disabled visitors must show their relevant student ID, proof of age or disability status document upon entry to the museum.
- * Students and faculty members at National Museum of Art Campus Member institutions may view this exhibition on specially priced tickets (students = 1,100 yen, faculty members = 2,000 yen). These tickets are available at the National Museum of Western Art Ticket Office.
- * You can also see the exhibition “Hokusai: Thirty-six Views of Mt. Fuji from the Iuchi Collection” and the permanent exhibition on the same day of viewing this exhibition.
- Organized by
- The National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo; The Yomiuri Shimbun; M. K. Čiurlionis National Museum of Art
- With the special support of
- The Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania
- With the support of
- The National Museum of Western Art Shibahara Keiichi Fund
- With the assistance of
- J-WAVE
- With the cooperation of
- Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania in Japan; The Western Art Foundation
- Official website
This exhibition introduces the work of the leading Lithuanian artist Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis (pronounced “Chyoor-lyó-nis”; 1875–1911), with a primary focus on his paintings. Born into a modest family in the Lithuanian countryside, Čiurlionis showed musical talent from an early age and undertook a formal study of composition, before being strongly drawn toward painting. Just as he was reaching maturity as a painter, however, his health deteriorated due to overwork and mental strain, and he passed away at the young age of 35. Though his intense engagement with painting lasted no more than six years, from around 1903 to 1909, during this brief career he produced in excess of 300 works of art. Additionally, he composed approximately 400 pieces of music during his lifetime. While the artist’s international reputation grew only slowly at first, following his death, his paintings are today rightfully acknowledged as forming an important bridge between Symbolism and abstraction in the history of art.
This exhibition, the first major retrospective of the artist in Japan for thirty-four years, features approximately eighty pieces, including important paintings, prints, and drawings, all sourced from the collection of the M. K. Čiurlionis National Museum of Art in Kaunas, Lithuania.
The early twentieth century was a major turning point in Lithuania, as national liberation movements pushed against the ruling power of the Russian Empire. Čiurlionis’s art, produced during this period, laid down a cornerstone for the country’s emerging modern culture. Through his works, we are able to connect with the core elements shaping the spirit of the Lithuanian people: their rich natural landscapes, their ancient tales and beliefs, and their gentle, delicate temperament. While deeply rooted in his national heritage, Čiurlionis was also notably cosmopolitan––he was committed to creatively exploring humanity’s inner world and the mysteries of the universe. His paintings, imbued with musical rhythm and harmony, resonate deeply within the viewer’s heart, transcending the boundaries of a single nation.