The Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art opened in April of 2004. The museum's holdings consist of the collection held by the former Museum of Modern Art, a collection amassed over the past 30 years. One of the main concepts of the Museum is to exist as an amuseum, a museum promoting the spirit of the people.

Since the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake of 1995, reconstruction of the core infrastructure of buildings, roads and harbors has almost been completed and the population has returned to its previous levels. However, the spirit of the people has yet to recover. The Museum was established in order to restore the spirit of the people. Just as study nourishes the mind, and sport nourishes the body, art nourishes the spirit. Therefore, the Museum was constructed to promote the healing of the spirit of those injured by the earthquake.

In commemoration of the 10th year after the earthquake, in January of 2005, the Museum held the Hyogo International Competition of Painting, which was most graciously attended by the Emperor and Empress of Japan. Approximately 8000 entries from 81 countries were received.

The Museum is the largest in western Japan, with a floor space of approximately 27,500 m². In addition to the exhibition spaces, there are a variety of large indoor and outdoor spaces. The Museum exists not only for the appreciation of fine art, but also for encouraging exchanges between art and music, theater, film and for holding a wide variety of events. The Museum's facility includes a variety of multi-purpose event halls and galleries, a large fine-art information center and the internet resource "Hyogo Bungakukan " (Hyogo Net Museum of Literature). Furthermore, Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art goes beyond previous museum concepts. It is what we call an amuseum. As implied by the negative prefix "a- " the term amuseum is a rejection of the traditional concept of the museum. Additionally, the inclusion of the "a " incorporates the word "amuse " into the museum's vision, indicating the importance of the enjoyment of our visitors. With these ideas central to its mission, the Museum is changing and broadening the concepts of art. To state it simply, the Museum has transformed itself from "a place of objects " to "a place of information. " It is an institution that collects and transmits "information ", not solely "objects ".

This Museum is an amuseum: a place of information. In order to create a modern, functional facility that encompasses a worldview, the Museum is arranging exhibitions of fine art from all over the globe, ranging from ancient times to the present day. With this distinctive approach, the new hall opened at the Museum welcomed over one million visitors in its first year, and activities there have continued to progress at a fine pace. This year the Museum is hosting a wide variety of exhibitions including tshe Dresden National Art Museum Exhibition, the Gustave Moreau Exhibition, the New Silk Road Exhibition, the Dutch Masters from the Rijksmuseum AmsterdamExhibition and the Shuji Yamada Exhibition.

We are looking forward to the support of all those who love beauty and art.