The National Art Center, Tokyo (NACT)

Love is in the air at The National Art Center, where a series of paintings borrowed from the Louvre in Paris have been curated based on their fiery portrayals of passion and romance. The series will include a total of 70 masterpieces created between the 16th and mid-19th century. Featured artists include François Boucher, Jean-Honoré Fragonard and François Gérard, among other visionaries from Europe.  The exhibition launches at the beginning of March, so it won’t be open in time for Valentine’s Day, but that only reaffirms the fact that impassioned displays of affection shouldn’t be confined to just one commercial holiday. 

This Yves Saint Laurent retrospective coming to The National Art Center next autumn is the only appropriate follow-up to the Christian Dior exhibition opening this winter. Though he was only 21 years old when he was catapulted to the top of the French couture industry as head designer of the Dior fashion house, Saint Laurent went on to become one of the greatest visionaries of 20th century fashion.  This is the first time an official Saint Laurent retrospective is being staged in fashion-frenzied Tokyo, so you can expect a lot from the momentous collaboration with the Musée Yves Saint Laurent Paris. There will be roughly 110 pieces to see, including garments like the 1965 Mondrian dresses, accessories, sketches and photographs of the designer at work. The exhibition will launch on September 20 2023 and run through December 11 2023.