【MORI ART MUSEUM】Mori Art Museum Director Mami Kataoka Appointed France's Republic's Order of Arts and Letters (Chevalier)

Tokyo, September 11, 2026 — Mori Building Co., Ltd., Japan's leading urban landscape developer, announced today that Mori Art Museum's Director Mami Kataoka has been appointed the Order of Arts and Letters (Ordre des Arts et des Lettres) at the rank of Chevalier by the government of France. Director Kataoka received her insignia alongside Chiharu Shiota, who was appointed the rank of Officier, from Her Excellency Béatrice Le Fraper du Hellen, Ambassador of France to Japan, in a joint decoration ceremony at the ambassador's official residence on September 8.

The Order of Arts and Letters was established in 1957 by the French Ministry of Culture to honor individuals who have distinguished themselves through their creativity in the fields of art or literature, or who have made significant contributions to the proliferation of the arts and literature in France and around the world. Previously, former Mori Art Museum Director Fumio Nanjo was appointed Officier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 2016. Eariler still, the first chairperson, the late Mori Yoshiko, was appointed a Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur in 2013.

“The Mori Art Museum, where Kataoka Mami serves as Director, has evolved into an indispensable venue for international dialogue, where talent, ideas, and imagination converge. Ms. Kataoka’s work has extended beyond Japan’s borders by actively engaging with numerous institutions and events around the world, including curating the Chiharu Shiota: The Soul Trembles exhibition at the Grand Palais in Paris. She has consistently championed the idea that contemporary art should foster intellectual openness and encourage the exchange of ideas, perspectives, and experiences, not just the circulation of artworks. At the National Center for Art Research (NCAR), Japan, she launched a pilot program for the mutual exchange of curators with the Centre Pompidou. Furthermore, the upcoming Roppongi Art Night 2026 will feature art from France. In light of her outstanding contributions to contemporary art and cultural dialogue, we appointed Ms. Kataoka the Order of Arts and Letters on behalf of the Minister of Culture of the French Republic.”