The Kawamura Museum opened in 1990 to house and exhibit works of art from the collection of Dainippon Ink and Chemicals. The permanent collection is a varied one, containing many fine examples from different periods of Western and Japanese art. Included among the major works are pieces by Rembrandt, Renoir, Monet, Picasso, Kandinsky, Chagall, Pollock, Rothko and Stella.
The Rothko collection, one of the world's finest, is exhibited in a specially designed Rothko meditation room, of which there are only four in the world. The Stella and Rothko acquisitions were primarily accomplished by the chief curator, Nobuyuki Hiromoto.
Hiromoto is an art curator with a solid art background. He graduated with a major in aesthetics from Tokyo University and formerly was the chief curator of the Akira Ikeda Gallery. In addition to making many valuable additions to the Kawamura's permanent collection, he has been instrumental in bringing many exciting temporary exhibitions, including three major Stella exhibitions and exhibitions of the works of George Segal, Joseph Cornell, Anselm Kiefer and others.