Andrew Wyeth Exhibition 2026

A major retrospective devoted to one of America's most influential painters will open in Tokyo this spring. The Andrew Wyeth Exhibition, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, is set to run from April 28th to July 5th, 2026.

Andrew Wyeth (1917–2009) is widely regarded as a leading figure in 20th-century American figurative painting. At a time when movements such as Abstract Expressionism, Pop Art, and Neo-Dada dominated the postwar art world, Wyeth took a markedly different path. He remained devoted to realistic depictions of the people, interiors, and landscapes closest to him, using these familiar scenes to explore memory, solitude, and the inner life of the artist. His paintings are never simple records of what he saw, but reflections of a deeply personal, often contemplative world.

This exhibition revisits Wyeth's work through the central theme of "boundaries." Motifs such as windows, doors, and thresholds appear repeatedly in his paintings, suggesting spaces that separate and connect at the same time. For Wyeth, these boundaries have been interpreted as symbols linking life and death, interior and exterior, and the visible world with the unseen spiritual realm.

The exhibition is especially significant for Japanese audiences, marking Wyeth's first retrospective in Japan since his death. It follows earlier, highly popular exhibitions in 1974, 1995, and 2008–2009. More than ten works will be shown in Japan for the first time, including Winter Field (1942) from the Whitney Museum of American Art, Cooling Shed (1953) from the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and Embarkation of the Ship (1984) from the Philbrook Museum of Art.

Please note that as yet, ticket pricing has not yet been announced. This should be updated on the official website closer to the commencement date.