History of the Fukuoka Asian Art Museum

25 June, 1992: Mayor of Fukuoka declared the intention to construct a museum of modern Asian Art
19 July, 1993: 1st Asian Art Museum Preparatory Committee Meeting
(Mayor of Fukuoka consulted the committee on the primary functions, location, facility, management and collection/acquisition.)
(The committee members consisted of 12 people including intellectuals, officials from related organisations, local business circles and government.)
8 February, 1995: Advisory Report by the Preparatory Committee was submitted to the Mayor
13 March, 1995: The Experts’ Committee on the Construction of the Asian Art Gallery was founded
17 January, 1996: Construction begins on the Hakata Riverain complex
26 February, 1996: Meeting of the Citizens’ Committee on the Asian Art Gallery
23 July, 1997: First meeting of the Executive Committee of the 1st Fukuoka Asian Art Triennale
17 February, 1998: Announcement of the official name, Fukuoka Asian Art Museum. (selected from 4,079 entries submitted by 2,775 people)
1 March, 1999: Hakata Riverain completion ceremony
6 March, 1999: Opening of Fukuoka Asian Art Museum
The Commemorative Exhibition of Inauguration of the Fukuoka Asian Art Museum
The 1st Fukuoka Asian Art Triennale 1999 (The 5th Asian Art Show, Fukuoka) (until 6 June)
March-June, 2002: 2nd Fukuoka Asian Art Triennale
September-November, 2005: 3rd Fukuoka Asian Art Triennale
February, 2006: Received The Asahi Beer Art Award from the Asahi Beer Arts Foundation
October, 2008: Mutual cooperation agreement with Busan Museum of Art
September-November, 2009: 4th Fukuoka Asian Art Triennale
December, 2010: Received the JAFRA Award by the Japan Foundation for Regional Art-Activities
December, 2010: Mutual cooperation agreement with Singapore National Gallery
April, 2014: Moved from the Fukuoka City Board of Education to the Economy, Visitor/Tourism & Culture Bureau
September-November, 2014: 5th Fukuoka Asian Art Triennale
January, 2015: Total visitors since opening reach three million
January, 2016: Residence artists and curators/researchers reach one hundred
March, 2018: Completion of the entrance mural and Art Cafe
January, 2019: Total visitors since opening reach five million

History of the Asian Art Shows

The exhibitions on Asian modern and contemporary art held in Fukuoka Art Museum, the parent museum of Fukuoka Asian Art Museum.

1979

The Commemorative Exhibition of the Inauguration of the Fukuoka Art Museum Asian Artists Exhibition Part I
MODERN ASIAN ART - INDIA, CHINA & JAPAN (3 Nov - 2 Dec)

1980

The Commemorative Exhibition of the 1st Anniversary of the Fukuoka Art Museum Asian Artists Exhibition Part II
CONTEMPORARY ASIAN ART SHOW 1980 (1 Nov - 30 Nov)

[PARTICIPATING COUNTRIES (13 countries): Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Japan]

*The 1st Asian Art Show is the title of both exhibitions

Symposium: “What must be done for the future of Asian tradition and art which have been changed under the influence of Western art?”

1981

Zao Wouki Exhibition (6 Oct - 21 Oct)

1983

Korean Contemporary Art: An Aspect in the Latter Half of the 1970's (8 Dec - 27 Dec)

1984

LET'S MEET with Asian Art Traditions & Today (24 Oct - 18 Nov)

1985

2nd ASIAN ART SHOW, FUKUOKA (2 Nov - 1 Dec)

[PARTICIPATING COUNTRIES (13 countries): Bangladesh, Burma (present Myanmar), China, India, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Nepal, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Japan]

Special Section: “Art of Bali” and “Asia Festival”
Symposium: “Contemporary Asian Art - Its future perspective”

1986

The 2nd Asian Art Show, Fukuoka toured all the prefectures in Kyushu (2 Apr - 29 Jun)
The 2nd Asian Art Show, Fukuoka toured to the National Museum of Contemporary Art, Korea (26 Aug - 25 Dec)

1988

Asian Artist Today Fukuoka Annual 1 Roberto Feleo (26 Jan - 13 Mar)
Asian Artist Today Fukuoka Annual 2 He Duo-Ling (27 Sep - 13 Nov)

1989

Nam Jun Paik, The Familiy of Robot: Tours around Japan (27 Jun - 16 Jul)

(10th Anniversary of the Fukuoka Art Museum)
3rd ASIAN ART SHOW, FUKUOKA -- Symbolic Visions in Contemporary Asian Life (6 Jul - 13 Aug)

[PARTICIPATING COUNTRIES (15 countries): Bangladesh, Brunei, China, India, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Japan]

“Asia Festival” and “Prints Workshop”

The 3rd Asian Art Show, Fukuoka toured to the National Museum of Contemporary Art, Korea (7 Sep - 3 Oct) and the Yokohama Museum of Art (3 Nov - 25 Dec)

1990

Asian Artist Today Fukuoka Annual III Thawan Duchanee (6 Feb - 25 Mar)

Narrative Visions in Contemporary ASEAN Art (from the collection of the Fukuoka Art Museum) at Japan Foundation ASEAN Culture Center Gallery (12 Feb - 26 Feb)
[Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singaore, Thailand]

Tradition, the Source of Inspiration (2 May - 17 Jun) [Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand]

Asian Artist Today Fukuoka Annual IV Tan Chinkuan (11 Dec -11 Feb, 1991)

1991

Contemporary Paintings and Prints from China (2 Apr - 21 Apr)
Asian Artist Today Fukuoka Annual V Tang Da Wu (10 Sep - 10 Nov)
Contemporary Asian Art Exhibition from the Permanent Collection of the Fukuoka Art Museum (17 Sep - 6 Oct at Naha Civic Gallery)

1992

New Art from Southeast Asia (29 Sep - 18 Oct)

1993

Asian Artist Today Fukuoka Annual VI Rasheed Araeen (2 Feb - 28 Mar)

1994

Asian Artist Today Fukuoka Annual VII Durva Mistry (8 Feb - 27 Mar)

Nam Jun Paik Exhibition (30 Aug - 23 Oct)
(15th Anniversary of the Fukuoka Art Museum)
4th Asian Art Show, Fukuoka―Realism as an Attitude (10 Sep - 16 Oct)

[PARTICIPATING COUNTRIES (18 countries): Bangladesh, Brunei, China, India, Indonesia, Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam, and Japan]

Special Section: “Rickshaw Painting Traffic Art in Bangladesh” and “Workshop”

1995

The 4th Asian Art Show toured to the Hakone Open-Air Museum (1 Jan - 12 Feb), the Akita-ken Sogo-Seikatsu-Bunka-Kaikan (17 Feb - 21 Mar), and the Setagaya Art Museum (5 Apr - 14 May))
Asian Artist Today Fukuoka Annual VIII Mokoh (14 Mar - 23 Apr)
Asian Artist Today Fukuoka Annual IX Kim Young-Jin (5 Sep - 5 Nov)
Images of Power: Balinese Paintings Made for Gregory Bateson and Margaret Mead (5 Dec - 21 Jan 1996)

1996

Contemporary Paintings and Prints from China (31 Aug - 23 Sep)
Asia Art Forum (For the opening of the Fukuoka Asian Art Museum)
Talk Session: “Asian Art - Forms of Dream in Daily Life” (7 Sep)
Workshop: “Family Program: Let’s Paint Indian Painting” (31 Aug, 1,2 Sep)
(Commemorative exhibition for the Groundbreaking of the Fukuoka Asian Art Museum)
Asia Collection From Myth to Reality 1977-1995 (28 Sep - 20 Oct)

1997

Asian Artist Today Fukuoka Annual X Hanh Thi Pham (4 Feb - 30 Mar)
Birth of Modern Art in Southeast Asia (9 May - 8 Jun)
[Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam]
The Birth of Modern Art in Southeast Asia toured to the Hiroshima Prefectural Art Museum (17 Jun - 13 Jul), the Shizuoka Prefectural Museum of Art (19 Jul - 31 Aug), and the Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum (6 Sep - 12 Oct))
Asian Art Forum (For the opening of the Fukuoka Asian Art Museum)
One Thousand Bamboo Orchestra (24 Aug)

6 March 1999

Grand Opening of Fukuoka Asian Art Museum