Yusaku Maezawa Suggests DIC Museum Should Sell Works to Japanese Collectors First: ‘I Will Be Waiting’

Yusaku Maezawa, who appeared on ARTnews Top 200 Collectors list last year, posted a series of comments on the social media network X on Monday, regarding the closure of the Kawamura Memorial DIC Museum of Art, expressing his desire as an art lover to prevent the outflow of works in the museum’s collection overseas.

Last week, ARTnews‘ George Nelson reported that chemical company DIC Corporation was reevaluating the future of Kawamura amid pressure from activist investors. The Kawamura’s collection boasts 754 artworks, 384 of which are owned by DIC Corp. It includes seven of Mark Rothko’s “Seagram Murals” and works by Cy Twombly, Pablo Picasso, Rembrandt, Claude Monet, Jackson Pollock, Andy Warhol, and Robert Ryman, among other significant artists.

In 2018, Maezawa acquired Hasegawa Tohaku’s Urozu Byobu (Crows and Herons) from the museum’s collection. In response to a fan who posted on X that he would like to see the work someday, Maezawa replied, “The Hasegawa Tohaku Crows and Herons screen has been undergoing cleaning and partial restoration work for about three years, but it was safely returned to me the other day. This work is an important cultural property designated by the country, so I would like to make it possible for everyone to see it in some way, and I will let you know as soon as the details are decided.” He continued, “Even so, I am sad that the DIC Kawamura Museum of Art is temporarily closed. If there is anything I can do, I would like to cooperate as an art lover.”

The DIC Museum is slated to be temporarily closed in January 2025.

Furthermore, following this post, he not only expressed regret that Barnett Newman’s Anna’s Light (1968), which was also in the museum’s collection, had been sold and sent overseas, calling it “very unfortunate.” He also appealed, “Regarding the closure of the Kawamura Memorial DIC Museum of Art, if the collection is to be sold, I hope that they will first approach Japanese buyers so that the many masterpieces do not leave Japan. I will be waiting.”

In his latest post, Maezawa also wrote about his sense of responsibility as a collector, saying, “Japanese people need to protect Japan’s traditional things, whether it’s the land, nature, art, or traditional culture, as much as possible. If we sell them off piece by piece for short-term profit, Japan will no longer be Japan. I need to earn enough to be able to buy and pass on the things that should be passed down to future generations.”

Incidentally, Maezawa is currently looking for five personal assistants through X to handle cleaning of his mansion and villa, as well as other personal support duties. The duties include “laundry, cleaning, cooking, serving food at parties, wine management, attendance, document management, and guest reservations,” as well as “looking after dogs and cats,” but there is no mention of duties related to his art collection.