TOP 30th Anniversary TOP Collection: Continuity and Change

Apr. 5—Jun. 22, 2025

• Apr. 5—Jun. 22, 2025
• Closed Mondays (except when May 5), May 7.
• Admission：Adults ￥700(560)／College Students ￥560(440)／High School Students, Over 65 ￥350(280) *Prices in parenthesis apply to groups of 20 or more. (Reservation is required.) *Free for junior high school students or younger, and holders of Japan’s disability identification cards (shogaisha techo) together with two caregiver. *Those over 65 years old receive free admission on the third Wednesday of every month by presenting proof of age at the ticket counter.

The Tokyo Photographic Art Museum is pleased to present a TOP Collection exhibition commemorating the 30th anniversary of our opening. Five curators collaborated on this omnibus-format exhibition, which brings together carefully selected works from our collection to offer multiple perspectives on the media of photography and film.

The exhibition title, Continuity and Change, is a translation of the phrase fueki ryuko, derived from a description by the haiku poet Matsuo Basho (1644–1694) of the essential mindset for haiku. His words – “Without knowing continuity, foundations cannot be established; without knowing change, new winds will not arise” – serve as a guiding principle for engaging with art even today. Embracing the spirit of continuity and change, this exhibition seeks to deepen our understanding of art of the past and its relevance to the present day while remaining attuned to contemporary creative practices and cultural currents. In five thematic sections, it presents works in the collection, from the 19th and 20th centuries to the present, for your interpretation.

There are no single ways to interpret these works, nor definite answers to the questions they raise. We hope that each visitor will derive their own discoveries and insights from the works and share them, enriching their viewing experience in the process.

[Exhibiting Artists]
Jacques-Henri Lartigue, August Sander, Shimooka Renjo, Felice Beato, Onodera Yuki, Yamamoto Ayaka, Ishiuchi Miyako, Shiozaki Yumiko, Katayama Mari, Otsuka Chino, Dorothea Lange, Hayashi Tadahiko, Enari Tsuneo, Hishida Yusuke, Ueda Shoji, Yamagami Shinpei, Sugimoto Hiroshi, Akasegawa Genpei, Tamura Akihide, Nagano Shigeich, Ushioda Tokuko, Kikai Hiroo, Seto Masato, Onishi Mitsugu, Araki Nobuyoshi, Yamazaki Hiroshi, Nakano Masataka, Sanai Masafumi, Sawada Tomoko, Nagashima Yurie, Noguchi Rika, Sugiura Kunie, Furuhashi Teiji and others


[Room 1] Pictures of Women –Focus on Early Photography (curated by SATO Mamiko)


Okubo Koroku, Miss Toyoko, 1926

[Room 2] Side by Side (curated by OSAKI Chino)



Otsuka Chino, 1982 and 2005, Paris, France from the series Imagine Finding Me, 2005

[Room 3] The Age of Movement (curated by MUROI Momo)


Lewis W. Hine, Climbing into America, Ellis Island, 1908

[Room 4] Listening to Photographs (curated by YAMAZAKI Kaho)


Akiyama Ryoji, T.V. Frame Left in a Reclamation Area, Tokyo from the series Scrap Land, 1969

[Room 5] Utsuroi (Transience) –From Showa to Heisei (curated by ISHIDA Tetsuro)


Nakano Masataka, Udagawa-cho, Shibuya-ku, Jan. 1991 from the series TOKYO NOBODY, 1991


Araki Nobuyoshi, from the series Winter Journey, 1990

All images are Collection of Tokyo Photographic Art Museum.

*The schedule is subject to change. Any further changes will be announced.

Organized by Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Tokyo Photographic Art Museum (Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture)
Supported by J-WAVE 81.3FM