Mori Art Museum Confirms Chairperson Emerita Mori Yoshiko Died at 85
The Facts
The Mori Art Museum announced on January 6, 2026 that Mori Yoshiko, its chairperson emerita and a director of Mori Building Co., died of pneumonia on December 23, 2025. She was 85. Mori helped open the museum in 2003 with her late husband, Mori Minoru, and served as its founding chairperson until December 2024, becoming chairperson emerita in January 2025. She also served as founding chairperson of the Mori Contemporary Art Foundation from May 2025 and was named an honorary OBE in February 2025 after receiving France's Legion of Honour in 2013. The museum said the funeral was restricted to close family and that a memorial event is planned; no gifts or flowers will be accepted.
The Signal
Mori was a central but low-profile figure in Japan's contemporary art world, holding council or trustee roles at the Royal Academy of Arts, MoMA, and Tate over more than two decades. Her death removes a key institutional bridge between Tokyo and the broader international museum network. How the Mori Art Museum and the Mori Contemporary Art Foundation carry forward her legacy will be closely watched by curators and collectors across Asia and beyond.
- People: Mori Yoshiko, Mori Minoru
- Museums: Mori Art Museum, Royal Academy of Arts, The Museum of Modern Art, Tate
- Locations: Tokyo
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