Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art — Attraction in Kobe

I love the architecture of this building and the general design. It's really chic, modern, and thoughtful. During my visit, I was able to see three exhibitions. The Van Gogh Alive, Dinosaur Dreams, and the permanent exhibit. I was able to purchase a combined ticket to the disnosaurs and the normal exhibition for $23. The Van Gogh one was an addition $25.

I felt like both tickets were very overpriced for what you experienced. Van Gogh alive was definitely enjoyable, but it was one room with one experience. I can hardly count the sunflower room or the bedroom replica since both were really just for pictures and used as the entry/exit. I expected more from a $25 entry fee than projections of Van Gogh paintings with some quotes here and there. It was especially hard to enjoy as there were so many people in the room obscuring the screens.

Dinosaur Dreams is really cool. Being a Dino fan myself, I found it particularly enjoyable. I felt a bit frustrated that 90% of the paintings could not be photographed or videoed, though. It felt strange given the fact that these are paintings of actual animals and not original ideas per se. The paintings were displayed well but lacked much information about each item other than the name and painter.

The permanent paintings on display are all splendid, and it was a pleasure to look at them, but there were so few. I really felt like the money I spent on accessing the exhibits would have spread much further in other...

The Van Gogh exhibit was just.. “okay.”

Essentially, the “Van Gogh Alive” exhibit is little more than a PowerPoint presentation of Van Gogh’s artwork with a few added special effects (fade in/out, minimal animations and background music.)

One thing that I thought was weird was that the biography of Van Gogh written in Japanese (located at the entrance before the exhibit) had been condensed and given a G-rated feel. For example, the bio had mentioned that Vincent was in an asylum, but it didn’t mention that he ended up in the asylum due to a combination of epilepsy, alcoholism and syphilis (and how some theorize these diseases as having an effect on his latter painting style.)

That information (though depressing) might have been useful to some of the patrons- I overheard several guests wondering why Van Gogh’s earlier “Dutch” style was so different from the style he developed while living in France.

The crowds were horrendous because of the public holiday, but because the wide layout of the gallery, over-crowding had little effect on the experience.

It was my first time at this museum, and I hope to come back. The facilities as a whole are incredible and the usher-staff worked tirelessly to keep the guests moving in and out.

In summation: Three stars for the exhibit, five stars for the...

Great Art Museum where you can enjoy a good selction of art work and beautiful architecture.

We only entered the permanent exhibition area, but it was enough to occupy us for hours. The curator did an excellent job in selecting a wide variety of art pieces from both local and international artists feature both modern and classic work. Lighting, framing, and placement of the work are done really well. We especially like Western style painting by Japanese artists, which offer a unique blend of east and west.

I saw Tadao Ando works from the photos many before, but this was the first time i experienced his work up close. Now i understand why this self-taught architect has received so much fame and praise. The simple design, material selection, and use of space provide a zen like experience.

We visited the museum in the late afternoon, and the sun was setting by the end of our tour. So It was lovely to walk along the river watching the sun set. It took us around 2 hours to explore both art and Ando museums, but because we have a plan for dinner. Otherwise, we could have spent more. However, if you have no time, 1.30 hours should be enough.

The ticket cost 500 jpy for the permanent exhibition and 1800 jpy for special exhibition or 2100 jpy for the...