Yoshiko Mori, Mori Art Museum Founder and Arts Patron, Dies at 85

Yoshiko Mori passed away in Tokyo on December 23, 2025, due to pneumonia. In 2003, she co-established the Mori Art Museum alongside her late spouse, Minoru Mori, and took on the role of its founding chairperson. As a board member of the Mori Building Company, she promoted the arts and culture within one of Japan's leading real estate development firms. The museum flourished under her guidance, showcasing contemporary artists from Japan, Asia, and other regions, attracting millions of visitors. In May 2025, she was appointed the founding chairperson of the Mori Contemporary Art Foundation and became the museum's first chairperson emerita. Her international affiliations included the Royal Academy of Arts in London and the Museum of Modern Art International Council in New York. In 2013, she was honored with France's Chevalier of the Legion of Honour, followed by becoming an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2025. David Elliott, the museum's first director from 2001 to 2006, fondly remembered her dedication to cultural initiatives.