Thursday 10 September, ahead of the fair’s public opening, marks the invitation-only preview evening known as the “Vernissage.” Galleries from around the world gather here, presenting the works they’ve prepared for this day for the very first time. Alongside gallerists, collectors and artists, the venue fills with an electric, first-night energy — a “Vernissage” ticket is an invitation to this one special evening, held just once a year.
Beyond the chance to see the works first, a special performance awaits. An evening to experience art with more than just your eyes — in a class of its own.
The “Vernissage” ticket also comes with benefits that make the most of this fair period.
Enjoy the Fair, Across All 4 Days
A “Vernissage” ticket grants entry to this special evening, and admits its holder freely during general admission from 9 to 13 September as well — with priority entry at opening time each day. The time usually spent queuing becomes time spent with the art instead. Each day also brings a different talk programme or performance, so no two visits are quite the same.
Raise a Glass with Perrier-Jouët
With the “Vernissage” ticket, enjoy a glass of champagne from Perrier-Jouët, Tokyo Gendai’s Official Champagne Partner.
Perrier-Jouët is one of the most historic Champagne houses in France founded in 1811 in Epernay. Known for its elegant, floral style crafted primarily from Chardonnay, the Maison embodies a deep connection to nature and art. In 1902, artist Emile Gallé created the iconic anemone design that became the brand’s symbol. Since then, Perrier-Jouët has collaborated with renowned artists, blending heritage, craftsmanship, and creativity to offer a distinctive Champagne experience celebrated around the world. With a glass of its floral, delicately refined champagne in hand, the art gathered here from around the world takes on an extra shine.
*Champagne will be served at the Perrier Jouët booth. Please collect your voucher from the information desk outside the venue (concourse) on the day
Tokyo Gendai Art Pass — Enjoy Art “Beyond the Walls”
This year’s “Vernissage” ticket comes with the Tokyo Gendai Art Pass — opening the door to the best of art and culture happening right now, beyond the walls of the fair. This benefit is available exclusively to Vernissage Ticket purchasers.
Soho House Tokyo Special Access Pass
Soho House Tokyo, a private members’ club located in Omotesando, opened its doors in April as the brand’s first location in Japan. Designed for individuals with a creative mindset, this exclusive space is accessible only to members and their guests. The interior showcases an impressive art collection of works by 40 Japanese and Japan-affiliated artists, including Yuko Mohri, Ryoji Ikeda, and Yoshiaki Kaihatsu, brought to life through careful collaboration with Soho House, including custom-commissioned pieces. Enjoy an inspiring time in the refined club spaces or by the infinity pool.
Available to enter: 12-30 September (except Tuesdays)
*Please collect your ticket from the information counter outside the Tokyo Gendai venue (concourse), then complete the separate online registration.
Address: 3-8-35 Minami-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Official site: https://www.sohohouse.com/houses/soho-house-tokyo
“Ron Mueck”
@Mori Art Museum
Known for sculptures made far larger, or far smaller, than life, Australian-born contemporary artist Ron Mueck creates works born from meticulous observation and philosophical reflection. His pieces render the quiet — and sometimes overwhelming — sides of the human condition: loneliness, vulnerability, anxiety, with astonishing scale and presence. Japan’s first major solo show of his work in 18 years, the exhibition features 11 works including his large-scale work Mass. Six of these are on view in Japan for the first time, including an early representative piece, Angel (1997) — a rare opportunity not to be missed.
Available to enter: 10–13 September (Thu–Sun) 10:00–22:00
*Open at 9:00 on Saturday, 12 September and Sunday, 13 September
*Admission until 30 minutes before closing.
*To gain entry, please show the QR code displayed after purchasing your Vernissage ticket.
Address: Mori Tower 53F, 6-10-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Official site: https://www.mori.art.museum/en/
“Almost Sky: Jun Aoki + Richard Tuttle”
@Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery
A two-person exhibition by artist Richard Tuttle and architect Jun Aoki. For Tuttle, art is “light” — a medium for sharing a truth, a beauty, a moment of fulfilment captured in an instant. For Aoki, architecture is “air” — the creation of open space that allows for the different values and paces each person carries. Between Tuttle’s art and Aoki’s architecture lies an affinity that lightly crosses into each other’s territory. Light and air — elements that fill the world — their collaboration merges the two while letting each remain itself, creating a space that is both open and playful. The exhibition draws out the latent potential of the Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery space from both an artistic and architectural perspective, in ways not seen before.
Available to enter: 10–13 September (Thu–Sun) 11:00–19:00
*To gain entry, please show the QR code displayed after purchasing your Vernissage ticket.
Address: 3-20-2 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo
Official site: https://www.operacity.jp/ag/exh300/index_e.php
“A New Eye―Monet and 21st-Century Art” Commemorating the 100th Anniversary of Monet’s Death and the Pola Museum of Art’s 25th Anniversary
@Pola Museum of Art
Marking the 100th anniversary of Claude Monet’s death and the 25th anniversary of the POLA Museum of Art, this exhibition brings together all 19 of Monet’s oil paintings from the museum’s renowned collection—one of the largest collections of his work in Asia.
Through a dialogue between Monet’s work and the perspectives of 18 contemporary artists and groups from Japan and abroad, the exhibition revisits the radical vision of beauty that Monet pioneered, viewed from the perspective of the present day, a century later. Extending beyond the galleries into the museum lobby and the forest trails surrounding the museum, the exhibition unfolds on an expansive scale throughout the entire site.
As a benefit for “Vernissage” ticket holders, complimentary admission tickets to the exhibition will be available. The tickets can be used throughout the exhibition period, until Wednesday, April 7, 2027.
Please collect your complimentary ticket from the Information Counter located in the concourse outside the Tokyo Gendai venue. When visiting the POLA Museum of Art, please present the ticket you received at Tokyo Gendai.
Exhibition Period: June 17, 2026 (Wed) – April 7, 2027 (Wed)
Open daily throughout the exhibition period, except Tuesday, December 1.
Address: 1285 Kozukayama, Sengokuhara, Hakone-machi, Ashigarashimo-gun, Kanagawa Prefecture
Official website: https://www.polamuseum.or.jp/sp/the-new-vision/
“RYUICHI SAKAMOTO + SHIRO TAKATANI AMBIENT KYOTO – TOKYO”
@Azabudai Hills Gallery
An installation based on Ryuichi Sakamoto’s 2017 album async, combining video by Shiro Takatani with three-dimensional sound design by ZAK. First presented as “Ryuichi Sakamoto + Shiro Takatani | async – immersion 2023” at AMBIENT KYOTO 2023, where it drew widespread acclaim.
The work stands as a culmination of the “async” series, developed around Sakamoto’s concept of “installation music” — the pursuit of placing sound three-dimensionally in space. True to its title, the video Takatani created responds to the sound without ever fully synchronizing with it, true to the meaning of “async.”
As the relationship between sound and image continues to shift over time, the audience’s perception quietly wavers, drawn deeper into the world of the work. This is not something to simply watch, nor simply listen to. Music, image, sound, space, and you yourself become one — a once-in-a-lifetime immersive experience.
Exhibition period: 28 August (Fri) – 25 October (Sun) 2026, open daily
*Available to enter with this invitation until Friday, 18 September 2026 Weekdays: 10:00–19:00 Weekends & holidays: 10:00–20:00 *Please note: On Friday, 11 September only, the venue will close at 18:00. *Last admission is 30 minutes before closing.
Address: Azabudai Hills Garden Plaza A, MB Floor, 5-8-1 Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Official site: https://ambientkyoto.com/
The thrill of an art fair, a toast with champagne, and access to spaces that capture the best of art and culture right now — all of it, in a single ticket.
Available in a limited quantity of 50, the “Vernissage” ticket makes this year’s Tokyo Gendai even more special.
*The Tokyo Gendai Art Pass is available exclusively to purchasers of the Vernissage Ticket.
