Marubeni is pleased to announce that the upcoming Marubeni Gallery exhibition “Special Exhibition ― Botticelli: La Bella Simonetta―” will be held from March 18 to May 24, 2025.

Overview
This exhibition is a collaboration with the annual Spring Festival held at the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, and will feature the special public display of the only tempera painting by Sandro Botticelli in Japan, La Bella Simonetta, from the Marubeni Collection. The beautiful young woman who is portrayed in this work, Simonetta Vespucci, is also said to have served as the model for Botticelli’s paintings Primavera (“The Spring”) and The Birth of Venus, and was furthermore known as a symbolic figure of “Spring in Florence” or “Spring in the Renaissance.”

Background
2025 additionally marks the 50th anniversary of the death of Japanese art historian and scholar Yashiro Yukio, who enjoyed worldwide renown for his research into Botticelli. To commemorate the occasion, the Museum Yamato Bunkakan in Nara Prefecture will also be holding a largely concurrent event entitled, “Special Exhibition—Yashiro Yukio and the Museum Yamato Bunkakan 50 Years After His Passing: The Joys of Loving Art.” This year furthermore represents the 100th anniversary of the birth of Tsuji Kunio, the author of the historical novel Haru no Taikan (“The Coronation in Spring”), in which Simonetta appears, with the Marubeni Gallery’s Special Exhibition also being held in commemoration of these two anniversaries.

Exhibition Content
This is the second time that La Bella Simonetta has been exhibited since the Marubeni Gallery opened, the first being at the Marubeni Gallery Opening Exhibition III: La Bella Simonetta, a Special Botticelli Exhibition, held in 2022. Continuing from the previous exhibition, the Special Exhibition will trace the history of this work, compare it with other portraits of Simonetta, and offer an overview of its appeal from various perspectives, including a scientific appraisal.

Exhibition Details:

Dates:	Tuesday, March 18 to Saturday, May 24, 2025
Hours:	10 am to 5 pm (Last admission: 4:30 pm)
Closed:	Sundays and public holidays
Admission:	General admission: 500 yen All proceeds from general admission sales will be donated to the Marubeni Foundation. Note 1: The Marubeni Gallery is only able to accept cashless payments (such as transportation IC cards, credit cards, and QR code payments). Note 2: Admission is free for the following groups. ・ Children under 18 and 18/19-year-old senior high school students (with student ID) ・ Visitors with an official disability certificate, plus one accompanying caregiver ・ Visitors wearing a kimono, yukata, or other traditional Japanese attire
Organizer:	Marubeni Gallery

About the Marubeni Gallery:
Designed under the concept of “a space where the aesthetics of the East and West in ancient and modern times resonate with each other,” the Marubeni Gallery is a facility where Marubeni’s art collection is on display to the public. Marubeni’s art collection consists of the three main categories: textiles (such as kimono, Noh robes, and fabric fragments), textile designs, and paintings. Since its founding in 1858, Marubeni has pursued the aesthetic beauty of Japan through its textile business. This resulted in the collection and preservation of ancient textile products (such as kimono, obi, and silk gift-wrapping cloth) and designs primarily from the 17th to mid-19th centuries—the first and second pillars of the collection. Gaining contacts in the art world through this pursuit of textile designs, Marubeni also acquired modern Japanese paintings through art dealers or from the artists themselves. Later, in the 1960s and 70s, Marubeni expanded into the international art business, acquiring Western paintings as well. Together, these Japanese and Western paintings form the third pillar of the collection. Since its opening in 2021, the Marubeni Gallery has featured rotating exhibitions on a variety of themes to share this collection and other works of historical and cultural value with the public.

Official Website: https://www.marubeni.com/gallery/en/
Official Instagram: https://instagram.com/marubeni_gallery_official
Official Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/marubeni.jp/

Future Exhibit (Tentative Title/Details):
・Splendor and Sophistication: Kimono Masterpieces with Yuzen Dyeing in the Marubeni Collection
  (August 5 to September 25, 2025)
   Related release:
   Announcing the Marubeni Gallery and Galerie Millet Joint Noto Recovery and Reconstruction
   Support Exhibitions (December 16, 2024)
   https://www.marubeni.com/en/news/2024/info/00058.html