Enforcement of the Act on Japanese Government Indemnity for Works of Art

On June 1, the ‘Act on the Indemnification of Damage to Works of Art in Exhibition’, promulgated on April 4, came into force. This legislation enables the government to compensate for damage to exhibited artworks up to a maximum of ¥95 billion, allowing more citizens to appreciate outstanding artworks, which had been under consideration since the 1990s, against a backdrop of rising art valuations and soaring insurance premiums. Following the law’s implementation, the first exhibition to be applied was the exhibition titled ‘Goya: Lights and Shadows’ (National Museum of Western Art), opening in October, and the exhibition titled ‘Jackson Pollock: A Centennial Retrospective’ (Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art), opening in November. (Japanese)