Simose Art Museum opened in March 2023 in a unique architectural space designed by architect Shigeru Ban. From its conception, an important element of the museum has been the collection of works by Emile Gallé (1846-1904), a leading French Art Nouveau craftsman. The museum grounds feature Emile Gallé's Garden, planted mainly with plants and flowers that appear in the works of the nature-lover Gallé, enhancing the appeal of the collection.

The more than 60 pieces in the Gallé collection, ranging from lovely glassware to large furniture, were assembled by museum’s director Yumiko Shimose as a source of enjoyment in her everyday life. This exhibition follows the full span of Gallé's career, and presents the entire collection for the first time. In the museum, itself a work of art, visitors can experience the vases and furniture that enlivened the Art Nouveau period. In the garden, find respite amid the flowers and plants that became Gallé's motifs, and sense the passion he devoted to his artistic practice and exploration of nature. In the movable galleries, visitors can view an array of works from the Simose Collection arranged in eight themes, including the glass works of Daum Frères, who were closely associated with Gallé, paintings by Ryohei Koiso, and sculptures by Satoshi Yanai.