M.C.Escher at the Contemporary Art Museum Kumamoto

Right in the centre of Kumamoto, the Contemporary Art Museum is always worth a visit, and as the main exhibitions are small and free it is easy enough to pop in for 20 minutes or so if you've got some time to kill in the city.

The CAMK was closed for a short period following the earthquake but have been open again for a few weeks now, and have made entry to the special exhibition on M.C.Escher free to the public (usual cost - 1,000 Yen).

Special exhibitions are usually held in the gallery near the entrance - however, when visiting yesterday we found the Escher works located at the far end of the museum where the permanent exhibitions are usually displayed - perhaps they had to move it there following damage from the earthquake?

Either way, it was a great exhibition, particularly considering that it was free. Some of the artists' most famous pieces were included in the collection, such as 'Hand with Reflecting Sphere' (a lithograph from 1935), 'Day and Night' (a woodcut from 1938) and 'Ascending and Descending' (a lithograph from 1960).

Seeing as entrance was free, we made up for it by spending a few thousand Yen in the gift shop instead - they had a huge collection of Escher postcards, and we bought one of those 'postcard booklets' that are such good value - just over 1,000 Yen and they have 20 or 30 postcards which can be pulled out and used as you wish. If you like arty stuff, the gift shop is like a treasure trove, and a great place to go shopping for birthday presents.

The exhibition is only running until June 12^th so if you want to catch it, bear that in mind! The CAMK is open every day except Tuesday.

Click Here to Find Out More About the CAMK