館の概要
弥生美術館は、昭和59年（1984）6月1日に、弁護士・鹿野琢見によって創設されました。
昭和4年、9歳の鹿野少年は、当時一世を風靡していた挿絵画家・高畠華宵が描いた一枚の絵「さらば故郷！」と出会い、深い感銘を受けました。
36年後の昭和40年春、ある雑誌の記事で、華宵が明石の愛老園にいることを知った鹿野は、幼い日の感動を手紙に綴って送りました。これをきっかけに、二人の親交が始まり、鹿野は自宅に「華宵の間」をつくり、華宵は何度も上京しました。「華宵の会」の発足、上野松坂屋での展覧会など再び脚光を浴びた華宵でしたが、翌年78歳でこの世を去りました。
少年時代の一枚の絵との出会い……。鹿野にとっては、少年の日の感動は、まさに永遠といえるものでした。華宵の著作権を得た鹿野は、華宵の死から18年後、華宵のコレクションを公開すべく念願の弥生美術館創設を果たしました。
展覧会活動について
年4回三ヵ月ごとに企画展を行っています。（1～3月／4～6月／7～9月／10～12月）
弥生美術館の1・２階の展示室では、明治末から戦後にかけて活躍した挿絵画家をはじめ、挿絵・雑誌・漫画・付録などの出版美術をテーマに企画展を開催しています。3階展示室は高畠華宵の常設展示室で、3ヶ月ごとにテーマをかえながら、常時50点の華宵作品を公開しています。
Pursuing the Attraction of the Published Art of Illustrators such as Kasho Takabatake who Captured the Spirit of the Meijij, Taisho, and Showa Generations
Takumi Kano established the Yayoi Museum on June 1, 1984.
In 1929, a nine-year-old boy, Kano, encountered a picture titled "Goodbye Hometown!" drawn by illustrator Kasho Takabatake who caught the spirit of the generations of that time. This experience made a deep impression on him. In the spring of 1965, 36 years after Kano first saw the picture, he found an article on a magazine mentioning Kasho lived at Airoen, old-age home, in Akashi. Then Kano wrote a letter to Kasho about the impressions his works made on him during his childhood. With this as a start, their relationship began. Kano set aside a room in his own house for Kasho which Kasho visited many times. Furthermore, the "Kasho-no-Kai" tea ceremony held in his honor was started, and an exhibition at the Matsuzakaya department store in Ueno was held, which attracted once again public attention. Kasho, however, passed away the following year at 78 years of age. A childhood encounter with one picture.... For Kano, nothing can be said to last an eternity except the impression that was made during his childhood. After obtaining the copyright for Kasho's works, Kano was able to realize his long-cherished ambition to establish the Yayoi Museum in order to exhibit the Kasho collection, 18 years after Kasho's passing.
Exhibition Activities
We conduct a special exhibition every three months (January -March, April - June / July - September / October December), on the first and the second floors of the Yayoi Museum. We display not only the works of reputed illustrators from the end of the Meiji Era until the postwar era (1890-1945), but also published art, such as illustrations, magazines, cartoons, and magazine supplements. The third floor of the Yayoi Art Museum is designed as a permanent exhibition room showing the works of Kasho. We have fifty works of art by Kasho on constant display, while changing themes every three months.