My Favorite Piece: Collection Spotlight Vol. 7 The Museum of Fine Arts, Gifu: Odilon Redon, Vase with Wildflowers
A conversation with Curator Matsuoka Misa
Odilon Redon, Vase de fleurs des champs (Vase with Wildflowers) , c. 1900–1905
In this series, museum personnel shine a spotlight on favorite pieces from their own museum’s collection, works that they hope everyone will see and appreciate. For this seventh installment, we visited the Museum of Fine Arts, Gifu, which opened its doors in 1982.
The museum collection boasts paintings and sculptures by artists connected to the region, including Yamamoto Hosui (1850–1906), as well as crafts such as ceramics, one of the local industries. Its special collection of Odilon Redon (1840–1916) is renowned worldwide for its scale and content. During 2024 and 2025, the large-scale exhibition PARALLEL MODE: Odilon Redon—Dream of light, luminous shadow opened at this museum and subsequently toured to Hiroshima and Tokyo.
In the fall of 2025, the museum was awarded the 20th Western Art Foundation Prize in recognition of its exhibition programming, including that exhibition, and its ongoing acquisition of works by Redon and other Symbolist artists associated with him since the museum's opening.
We spoke with Curator Matsuoka Misa about the special characteristics of museum’s collection as well as her choice of Odilon Redon’s acclaimed masterpiece, Vase with Wildflowers, which drew attention at the exhibition, as her favorite piece.
Rich light and color explored through painting flowers in vases
- Curator Matsuoka Misa’s thoughts on her favorite piece
Curator Matsuoka Misa, a native of Gifu Prefecture, has visited the museum since she was a child.
Theme: “Encounter with art, conversation with art, and enjoyment of art”
The Museum of Fine Arts, Gifu, is located within the verdant grounds of the Prefectural Citizens' Cultural Forest, about a 10-minute walk from JR Nishi-Gifu Station. A small stream flows among the trees, and various sculptures are positioned along the walking paths. It was late September, when we visited for the interview, just when the sunlight was beginning to carry hints of autumn. The leaves on the trees were also starting to show faint tints of autumnal color.
West Gate
This white building is the main building of the Museum of Fine Arts, Gifu.
To the right of the main gate is the atelier, which serves as the venue for the Artist in Museum (AiM) program where invited artists create their works, as well as the base for activities of the museum supporters, or volunteers. A part of the Day After Tomorrow Morning Glory Project by Director Hibino Katsuhiko and the museum’s art communicators, the “Nagarers,” also caught our attention. This is an art project initiated by Hibino as an artist, in collaboration with residents of the Azamihira village in Tokamachi City, Niigata Prefecture. It began as a morning glory cultivation initiative during the Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale held in Niigata in 2003. More than twenty communities throughout Japan are taking part in the project.
Atelier
The Day After Tomorrow Morning Glory Project
From the main entrance, we entered into the main building and the museum hall opened out in front of us, with a ceiling height of 8 meters and stretching back 70 meters. The space features abundant use of stone and tile, creating a sense of solidity. Yet the space is exceptionally bright thanks to the light streaming through the ceiling louvers and windows. The DIY feel of the stacked-block design and the pop typography of the Nan’yaro ne Station, which handles ticket sales and concierge services, conveys a relaxed attitude toward culture, art, and creativity, as well as making the venue more approachable, giving a warm welcome to visitors.
The Nan’yaro ne Station and the museum’s hall
The Museum of Fine Arts, Gifu, which opened on November 3, 1982, underwent renovations primarily focused on exhibition room walls, air conditioning, lighting, and other facilities. The museum reopened on November 3, 2019.
Hibino, who assumed his position as director of the museum in 2015, is originally from Gifu City. Since holding his own solo exhibition in 2006, he has engaged in various collaborative projects with people throughout Gifu Prefecture.
With the renewal, the museum updated its longstanding theme from “Encounter with art and conversation with art” to “Encounter with art, conversation with art, and enjoyment of art.” Spaces to encounter art are created through exhibitions planned by the curatorial staff while the museum’s educational outreach staff leads initiatives to foster spaces for conversing with art. The museum’s newly formed Art Communication Team works to cultivate time and space for visitors to enjoy art together.
The Nan’yaro ne project is one such initiative, taking its name from a local phrase meaning “What on earth is this?” that residents sometimes utter as they view artworks. The project has expanded into daily activities such as exhibitions, events, and hands-on appreciation programs aiming to let more people experience the appeal of art.
The cafe corner HüTTE NANYARONE. Hutte means mountain hut in German. It was added to the multipurpose hall after the renovation. Visible to the side is a replica of Michelangelo's Lorenzo, Evening, and Dawn.
Incidentally, before she started her post as a career-track curator, Matsuoka worked at the museum in curatorial affairs, where she was involved in assisting curatorial operations as well as public relations and educational outreach activities.
Forty Years of the Museum of Fine Arts, Gifu, working with the local community
Gifu Prefecture is known for artists such as Yamamoto Hosui, who was a leading figure in Western-style painting in Japan’s Meiji period (1868-1912), painters Kumagai Morikazu (1880–1977), Kawai Gyokudo (1873–1957), and Maeda Seison (1885–1977), and the potter Arakawa Toyozo (1894–1985), who all played significant roles in the history of Japanese fine arts. That history extends to artists active at the frontline today, including nihonga (Japanese-style) painters Tsuchiya Reiichi (1946-) and Hasegawa Yoshihisa (1964–), as well as contemporary artist Ohmaki Shinji (1971–), who exhibits at international art festivals.
The museum’s collection encompasses a wide range of works, including modern and contemporary paintings, sculptures, and crafts from Japan and abroad, as well as works and materials by artists connected to the prefecture and those who supported art in the local community. Worthy of special mention is the collection of Odilon Redon, a French painter representing Symbolism, a movement that emerged in the late nineteenth century.
Matsuoka explained that, “in 1979, as preparations for the museum's opening began and museum staff started collecting works for the collection, they happened to learn that a collection of charcoal drawings and prints known as Redon's noirs was coming onto the market. At the time, Redon was gradually gaining attention in Japan through an exhibition at the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, but it appears that museums across the country, which were preparing to open around the same period, had not yet begun collecting works by him as a major artist. Furthermore, Yamamoto Hosui, a Western-style painter with ties to Gifu, also studied under Jean-Léon Gérôme, the painter whom Redon studied under in Paris. Given both the connection to Gifu and the uniqueness of Redon’s noirs, it was decided to acquire the collection, establishing them as a cornerstone of the museum's holdings, and to continue acquiring works by Redon going forward.”
Redon depicted his imaginative world using various techniques, including charcoal drawings, prints, pastels and oil paintings. His dreamlike art is known to have influenced a wide range of fields including fine art, literature, music, and manga, not only in late nineteenth-century France but also in Japan.
The museum’s Redon Collection, which began with approximately 130 works, has steadily grown through continuous acquisition and research, and now exceeds 260 pieces. While the collection already encompasses works spanning from his early to late years, Redon was a prolific artist, and it is believed that numerous works not yet included in the catalogues raisonnés remain in the hands of private collectors and others.
Vase with Wildflowers is precisely one such work. While conducting research in France over several years for the special exhibition PARALLEL MODE: Odilon Redon—Dream of light, luminous shadows to be held from 2024 to 2025, an opportunity arose to acquire this piece. Until then, not much was known about this piece, other than its existence.
”Each time I visited France, I had met with people knowledgeable about Redon’s works and consistently conveyed that I was searching for his works. Therefore, when I first heard of this piece’s existence and was able to see it in person, it was deeply moving. We carefully deliberated over time, exploring whether we could somehow acquire it for our collection,” said Matsuoka.
Odilon Redon, Vase de fleurs des champs (Vase with Wildflowers) , c. 1900–1905
Matsuoka elaborated further, “The museum will celebrate its 45th anniversary in 2027. To mark this milestone, the Taguchi Fukujukai Foundation offered to donate the painting to the museum.
After the extensive renovations that completed our exhibition facilities, we discussed plans for the major 2024 exhibition centered on the Redon Collection (PARALLEL MODE), and then also the concepts for our 45th-anniversary commemorative exhibition, and our vision for the future of The Museum of Fine Arts, Gifu. It is within this context that we were able to acquire this painting, which truly is the showpiece of our collection.
The Taguchi Fukujukai Foundation is under the umbrella of a company founded in Gifu and is engaged in social contribution activities across a wide range of fields including education, welfare, culture and the arts, and sports within the region. Since our opening, the foundation has supported us through donations of works that have become emblematic of the museum.
The character of Gifu Prefecture is one that nurtures many artists, and perhaps because of this, numerous individuals and corporations continue to watch over and support our museum with the sentiment that it is also ‘their museum.’ Regarding donations to the collection, we are truly grateful that donors sometimes consult with us from the perspective of what kind of works would be appropriate for the museum. This has enabled us to build a high-quality collection while adhering to the acquisition policy established at the time of our opening.”
The view from the museum hall, which Matsuoka introduced as one of her favorite spots in the museum.
Aristide Maillol, The Mediterranean (1902–05), a donation from the Taguchi Fukujukai Foundation.
Rich light and color explored through painting flowers in vases
Vase with Wildflowers is a work painted by Redon when he was in his sixties and living in Paris. This period represents the culmination of his lifelong exploration of the expression of light. The diverse and delicate colors of the pastels radiate a vibrant splendor, and it is as if the fragrance of fresh flowers could waft from the canvas.
“To display the artwork, we have adjusted the lighting to allow visitors to appreciate the brilliance of the colors Redon used at the time as faithfully as possible. In his later years, Redon created numerous works featuring flowers arranged in vases like this one, employing various media such as oil paint and pastels, and exploring rich variations in background and composition. Among them, this work stands out for its meticulously crafted composition and carefully executed style that allows the image to unfold and expand. Most of all, it truly is a beautiful piece, isn't it?” exclaimed Matsuoka.
”The period when Redon painted this Vase with Wildflowers coincided with the Paris Exposition, his move to a new residence, and changes in his environment and circle of friends. I imagine his painting was influenced by encounters with many people at this time, so I am currently investigating and researching this period of his career,” Matsuoka said.
View of the Redon Collection, from The Museum of Fine Arts, Gifu Collection Masterpiece Selection.
For over forty years since before its opening, the Museum of Fine Arts, Gifu has dedicated itself to collecting and researching works by Redon. Moving forward, it will become increasingly important to combine the continual exhibition of these works with their preservation and restoration. Matsuoka, who specialized in conservation and restoration during her graduate studies, has a vital role in ensuring the museum’s Redon Collection endures for future generations.
“The large-scale exhibition PARALLEL MODE: Odilon Redon—Dream of light, luminous shadow marked the first occasion for our museum to display our entire Redon Collection. To comprehensively introduce Redon's entire artistic career and his reception in Japan through specific works, we borrowed pieces from both domestic and international sources, presenting approximately 330 works—the largest exhibition to date,” explained Matsuoka.
”The Redon Collection plays a central part in our aim of taking investigations and research to a deeper level, communicating with museums around the world. To that end, it is important that other institutions feel confident entrusting us with their works. We are educating ourselves to be able to respond to inquiries, and intend to carefully pursue the preservation and utilization of our collection,” she stated.
”Carefully examining each flower in the painting reveals areas rendered in subdued tones amidst the rich colors, creating an illusory atmosphere where the blooms seem to glow with increasing brilliance,” explains Matsuoka.
Curator Matsuoka Misa’s thoughts on her favorite piece
“The depiction of the flowers is wonderful, but the vase itself holds its own charm. It has come to light that this vase was actually crafted by Marie Botkin, a ceramicist who was a contemporary of Redon's, and research into its origins continues to this day. It's also fascinating that Redon seemed to have specific vases he would use for each of the paper sizes he worked on.”
“Our museum has held widely recognized works such as Closed Eyes and The Chariot of Apollo, but this piece will undoubtedly be instantly recognized as a Redon work by all. It is destined to become the showpiece of our museum going forward. With its addition, I believe the value of our existing collection has been further elevated.”
Matsuoka Misa
Born in Gifu Prefecture, Matsuoka has held the post of curator at the Museum of Fine Arts, Gifu since 2012. In charge of paintings and conservation/restoration, she aims to preserve and utilize the museum's collection by performing maintenance, adjusting works to conservation frames, and conducting restorations while planning exhibitions of paintings. In 2024, she organized the double retrospective PARALLEL MODE: Yamamoto Hosui and PARALLEL MODE: Odilon Redon, along with the Art Maruket Project by Director Hibino Katsuhiko, linked to the Redon exhibition.
The Museum of Fine Arts, Gifu
4-1-22, Usa, Gifu City, Gifu.
TEL: 81-(0)58-271-1313
https://kenbi.pref.gifu.lg.jp/english/
Exhibition name: Sources of Japanese Modern: The Taisho-Showa Eras Nationai Museum of Art Collection Dialogue
Date: November 15, 2025 – February 15, 2026
(Interview, photography, and text by Naomi)
