About

About the Marukawa Collection

The Marukawa Collection is a private photography collection based in Japan. It consists mainly of Japanese photographs taken between the pre-war period and the 1990s, but also includes works by international and young contemporary artists. Founded in 2010, the collection is still young, but has already contributed to Japanese and international art museums and fairs with loans and donations.

The guiding principle of the Marukawa Collection is to trace the history of Japanese photography and to illuminate the connections between individual photographers, schools, and movements, as well as their place within the larger flow of photographic history. A key focus is to highlight artists and events that have often been overlooked in conventional histories of photography, such as independent photographic movements in Japan and the works and contributions of women photographers throughout the decades.

We strive to share the diversity and brilliance of Japanese photography. Following our loan of avant-garde works to T3 PHOTO ASIA in Tokyo in 2024, we decided to launch this website to make the Marukawa Collection accessible to a wider audience. The site will be continuously updated with works from the collection.