One of Japan’s 20th Century Collections Under Threat of Liquidation

Designed by the architect Ichiro Ebihara, the museum was placed next to the DIC's research center in Sakura City; the corporation owns 384 of the 754 artworks. Pieces by Rembrandt, Claude Monet, Pablo Picasso, Cy Twombly, René Magritte, Jackson Pollock, and Frank Stella are included in the collection, which also boasts seven of Mark Rothko’s Seagram Murals (1958-1960)— making up one of four Rothko Rooms in the entire world.

Regardless of being a popular tourist attraction, the current DIC board members have announced that the museum will close its doors come February 2025. Though former board members upheld the museum due to a sense of social responsibility and community engagement, current shareholders aren’t so easily conceived by philanthropy. 

After a committee review in April, the board felt as though the Kawamura’s “high praise” for its collection and exhibitions had not met satisfactory conditions of “capital efficiency,” and that assets hadn't been “utilized effectively.” 

Continuing to be cryptic with their reasoning behind the closure, the DIC’s board also made a public announcement stating that it would be “difficult to maintain and operate the museum in its current state” due to the company's relationship with the museum and additional “opinions from investors.”

Chiba's Governor Toshihito Kumagai took to X in response to the news. “If it were to close, it would be a great loss,” he tweeted, before sharing an online campaign to “ensure the facility's survival.” Japanese billionaire, entrepreneur, and one of ARTnews Top 200 Collectors from 2023 also took to the online platform expressing his concerns. 

“I am sad that the DIC Kawamura Museum of Art is temporarily closed. If there is anything I can do, I would like to cooperate as an art lover.” In another post, he stated, “Regarding the closure of the Kawamura Memorial DIC Museum of Art, if the collection is to be sold, I hope that they will first approach Japanese buyers so that the many masterpieces do not leave Japan. I will be waiting.”

As of right now, the museum has been given two possible outcomes by their investors. There will either be "downsizing and relocation," or "cancellation of museum operations.” Many are afraid that liquidation of the Kawamura’s collection is imminent. Though the museum’s current evaluation stands at a modest ¥11.2B, or $76 million in its entirety, Barnett Newman’s Anna’s Light (1968) was sold by the museum for $105.7m in 2013, making the figure improbable.