Museum in a Forest
Experience Haring’s art and energy in the midst of beautiful nature of the Yatsugatake Mountains.
Keith Haring, the street art legend, expressed his short-lived life of thirty-one years through art to give us hopes and dreams.Nakamura Keith Haring Collection is a museum where you can immerse yourself into Keith Haring’s New York-born art and its energy—surrounded by the tranquil nature of the Yatsugatake Mountains.
The founder Dr. Kazuo Nakamura has been collecting the artworks of Keith Haring since 1987, and has since expanded his collection, acquiring over 300 works, standing as the only museum in the world to principally exhibit the artworks of Keith Haring.
Yatsugatake MountainsNakamura Keith Haring Collection
Yatsugatake Mountains
The Yatsugatake area, where once Jomon culture flourished, is located at a high altitude of 1,000 meters above sea level.
The rich environment that surrounds the museum is said to be as nourishing and fertile as a mother’s womb is to its child.
Icons (1990) by Keith HaringNakamura Keith Haring Collection
According to Darwin, it is not the clever or strong living creatures on the earth that have survived , but those who adapted to changes.
This work of art made up exclusively of such extremely simple lines and flat colors, allows the imagination to stretch out endlessy, and just like a religious painting, connotes a wide range of meanings and raises profound questions about human life.
Kazuo Nakamura
Founder and Director of the Nakamura Keith Haring Collection
Architecture
These dynamic architectural components are designed by Japan’s leading architect, Atsushi Kitagawara. The architecture of the Nakamura Keith Haring Collection has won many prizes and awards, including the Togo Murano Prize and The Japan Institute of Architects award.
Room of DarknessOriginal source: Nakamura Keith Haring Collection
Room of Darkness
The galleries are designed based upon the concepts of both “light and darkness” and “chaos and hope”, reflecting the turbulent state of the time Haring lived and his philosophy.
The Blueprint Drawings (Text) (1990) by Keith HaringOriginal source: Nakamura Keith Haring Collection
These 17 drawings were created over a period
of a few weeks from 1980 to 1981.
The Blueprint Drawings (1990) by Keith HaringOriginal source: Nakamura Keith Haring Collection
The Blueprint Drawings (1990) by Keith HaringOriginal source: Nakamura Keith Haring Collection
Altarpiece: The Life of Christ (1990) by Keith HaringOriginal source: Nakamura Keith Haring Collection
Tap to explore
Room of Hope Street View
The brightness of the Room of Hope is dimmed to simulate the light of dawn in the Yatsugatake Mountains.
Room of HopeNakamura Keith Haring Collection
Sky Stage by Atsushi Kitagawara Architects Inc.Nakamura Keith Haring Collection
Sky Stage
The dramatic curve of the roof is a nod to the volcanic mountains of Yatsugatake.
Museumtheater (2017)Original source: Nakamura Keith Haring Collection
Museum Theater
The lightning-inspired exterior façade evoke the strength and power found within the forces of nature, creating a dialogue with Haring’s works, which emphasize the importance of life.
Drawing of Extension by Atsushi KitagawaraNakamura Keith Haring Collection
In the spring of 2015, the Nakamura Keith Haring Collection expanded and reopened to redefine the unlimited scope of the museum. The expansion will function as a venue for new generations of artists, both domestic and international, that carry the legacy of Haring’s art.
Wosene worke Kosrof Solo Exhibition 'WordPlay"Original source: Nakamura Keith Haring Collection
Wosene worke Kosrof Solo Exhibition 'WordPlay'
Artwork ©︎Wosene worke Kosrof
Enrico Isamu Oyama Solo Exhibition "VIRAL"Nakamura Keith Haring Collection
Enrico Isamu Oyama Solo Exhibition 'VIRAL' (2019)
May 18, 2019-March 22, 2020
Enrico Isamu Oyama
Enrico Isamu Oyama (b.1983, Italian / Japanese) creates visual art in various mediums that features his signature style Quick Turn Structure.
Artwork ©︎ Enrico Isamu Oyama
Photo by ©︎ Shu Nakagawa
All Keith Haring Artwork ©The Keith Haring Foundation
Special Thanks to
Atsushi Kitagawara Architects Inc.
Wosene worke Kosrof
Enrico Isamu Oyama
