Construction of Idemitsu Museum of Arts completed
Opening of the “Inaugural Exhibition”
Idemitsu Sazo became the first first Director of the Museum (-1981)

First Wednesday Lecture held
(Koyama Fujio “On Pottery Sherds from the Idemitsu Museum of Arts”)
Since then, the Museum has held 327 Lectures (as of March 2024)

First issue of the “Idemitsu Museum of Arts Bulletin” published
Since then, published up to No. 197 (as of September 2023)

Third excavation at the ancient Okitsu-miya ritual site (on Okinoshima Island) of Munakata Shrine begins (First excavation conducted in 1954)

Museum received excavated pottery sherds from the Fustat archaeological site gifted by the Government of the United Arab Republic (Egypt)

Prince Charles of the United Kingdom visited

Museum received the donation of the print series “Miserere” from the Rouault family collection

Exhibition “《Passion》Rouault”

Welcomed American painter Sam Francis and opening of the exhibition “Idemitsu Collection Sam Francis”

Former French Minister of Culture André Malraux visited

New tea ceremony room “Chōseki-an” was opened, inviting Omotesenke Grand Master Sokuchūsai

Exhibition “Masterpieces of Hakutsuru Fine Art Museum Collection”

Emperor viewed sacred relics excavated from Okitsu-miya ritual site (on Okinoshima Island) of Munakata Shrine

Exhibition “André Malraux et le Japon Eternel (Andre Malraux and Eternal Japan)”

“L’Art du Japon Éternal dan la Collection Idemitsu (Eternal Japanese Art from the Idemitsu Collection)” held at the Musée du Petit Palais, Paris
Since its opening, Idemitsu Museum of Arts has held a total of 22 overseas exhibitions until 2014

Idemitsu Shosuke appointed as the second Director of the Museum (-2019)

Exhibition “Les chefs-d’œuvre du Musée du Petit Palais (Masterpieces of the Museum of Petit Palais)”

Exhibition “Land of Civilizations̶Turkey”

Exhibition “Special Exhibition Commemorating the Twentieth Anniversary of the Idemitsu Museum”
National Treasure “Illustrated Stories on Courtier Ban Dainagon” on display for the first time

Publication of comprehensive collection catalogue “Yamato-e in the Idemitsu Collection”
Began publishing comprehensive collection catalogue series featuring works in the Idemitsu Collection

Exhibition “Ceramic Road: Ceramic Exchange between China, Japan, the Middle East, and Europe” held at the Palace Museum, Beijing

Exhibition “Masterpieces of Chinese Arts from the Art Institute of Chicago”

Exhibition “Ottoman Turkish Treasures－Commemorative Exhibition of the Centenary of Turkish-Japanese Friendship: Ceramic Masterpieces of the Orient from the Topkapi Palace, Turkey”

Exhibition “Treasures of Asian Art from The Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection, The Asia Society, New York”

Exhibition “El Oro y Templo de Kuntur Wasi (The Gold and Temple of Kuntur Wasi)”

Exhibition “Edvard Munch̶ “The Frieze of Life””

Exhibition “Masterpieces of Chinese Ceramics from the Baur Collection, Geneva”

Publication of “Idemitsu Museum of Arts Journal of Art Historical Research” No. 1
Since then, published up to 29 issues (as of March 2024)

Exhibition “Les Collections du Musée Guimet à Paris－Chefs-d’ œuvre de la Sculpture Bouddhique sur la “Route de la Soie” (Collections of the Guimet Museum, Paris－Masterpieces of Buddhist Sculptures on the “Silk Road”)”

Exhibition “André Malraux, Notre ami (André Malraux, My Friend)”

Exhibition “35th Anniversary Exhibition Hasegawa Tohaku－National Treasure, “Pine Trees” Screens”

Exhibition “The National Treasure Screens of Wind and Thunder Gods－Sōtatsu, Kōrin and Hōitsu－Tradition and Creation of the Art of Rimpa”

Partial refurbishment of the Museum building including the western painting room, new lecture room, ceramic sherds room, lobby, and others

Crown Prince visited the exhibition “National Treasures of the Munakata Shrine: The Sacred Island of Okinoshima and Holy Treasures from the Shrine”

Exhibition “50th Anniversary Exhibition Celebrating the Beauty of Japanese Arts”

Total number of visitors since the Museum’s opening reached 5 million

Idemitsu Sachiko appointed as the third Director of the Museum

Exhibition commemorating the acquisition of the Price Collection “The Splendor of Edo Painting”

Exhibition “Ike Taiga－Landscape of Sunlight”

Exhibition “The Path of the Idemitsu Museum of Arts－From Here and Beyond”