The symbolic work of the Aomori Museum of Art (185 Yasuda Konno, Aomori City, TEL 017-783-3000 ) will be repainted for the first time, and will open to the public on November 23rd.

Since the opening of the museum in 2006, a three-dimensional work of a dog with a height of about 8.5 meters and a width of about 6.7 meters has been exhibited outdoors. It was created by Yoshitomo Nara, a contemporary artist from Hirosaki who is active both in Japan and abroad.

After about 17 years of exposure to wind, rain and snow, cracks and paint peeling due to aged deterioration were conspicuous, so paint repair was performed for the first time. The work was carried out for five days from October 12th to 16th, during the period when the building was closed for renovation work.

Shigemi Takahashi, head curator of the museum, said, "Because it was a gigantic work, we put up scaffolding and repaired it. There were many uneven surfaces, so I was careful not to leave any paint unpainted using a roller. October 20 On the day, the creator, Mr. Nara, got on the scaffolding and checked the whole thing up close."

On November 2nd, a preview was held for support ship club members and support staff of the museum. About 20 people who participated saw the cleaned work up close and cheered. A woman in her 40s living in Aomori squinted her eyes, saying, ``I feel refreshed after fixing my makeup.''

General viewing will begin on November 23rd after the long-term closure, and will be available until the "Aomori Dog External Passage" is closed due to snowfall.

The opening hours are from 9:30 to 17:00. The Aomori Dog Passage is open until 16:45 (it may be closed depending on the weather). Closed on the 2nd and 4th Mondays of every month (the next day if Monday is a public holiday), New Year holidays.