The National Museum of Western Art

The nihongo|National Museum of Western Art|国立西洋美術館|Kokuritsu Seiyō Bijutsukan is the premier public art gallery in Japan specializing in art from the Western tradition.

The Museum is located in the museum and zoo complex in Ueno Park in central Tokyo. This popular Tokyo museum is also known by the English acronym NMWA (National Museum of Western Art).

NMWA history

The NMWA was established on June 10, 1959. The museum developed around the core art collection of Matsukata Kojiro (1865-1950), whose thinking is mirrored in the museum he anticipated.

Matsukata's acquisition strategies were designed to create the nucleus of what he hoped would become an evolving national museum specializing in Western art. [http://www.nmwa.go.jp/en/collection/index.html NMWA collection] ]

The museum exhibits works from the Renaissance to the early 20th century, many having been acquired since the museum's opening. The museum's purpose is to provide the public with opportunities to appreciate western art. [http://www.nmwa.go.jp/en/about/index.html NMWA outline] ]

Since its opening, the museum, as Japan's only national institution devoted to western art, has been involved in exhibitions, art work and document acquisition, research, restoration and conservation, education and the publication of materials related to western art. [see above] ]

The museum is involved in the development and organization of a special exhibition every year. These exhibitions feature works on loan from private collections and museums both in and out of Japan. [see above] ] In 1963, NMWA created a splash on the international art scene by bringing together 450 works by the French-Russian artist Marc Chagall. The exhibition brought together Chagall's work from 15 countries, including 8 paintings lent from the Soviet Union; and it was believed to be the most comprehensive show mounted during the artist's lifetime. [Chapin, Emerson. [http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FB0D1EF739581A7B93C6AB1782D85F478685F9&scp=4&sq=matsukata+kojiro&st=p "Japan Assembling a Large Chagall Show; 450 Works From 15 Nations to Be Lent For Tokyo Display; Value of Exhibition Estimated at Nearly $14 Million Planned for 7 Years Designed by Le Corbusler,"] "New York Times." September 24, 1963.]

MMWA collections

NMWA has purchased art work every year since its establishment in its efforts to build and develop its permanent collection. [see above] ] The museum houses about 4,500 works, including examples of painting and sculpture from the 14th through the beginning of the 20th century. The museum's holdings have expanded in the decades since the museum was first opened to the public: [see above] ]

Paintings; 18th century and earlier
The Main Building displays pre-18th century paintings, including those by Veronese, [ [http://www.nmwa.go.jp/en/collection/group1.html NMWA 14th-16th centuries] ] Rubens, [ [http://www.nmwa.go.jp/en/collection/group2.html NMWA 17th century] ] and Fragonard. [ [http://www.nmwa.go.jp/en/collection/group3.html NMWA 18th century] ] Many of these paintings are religious paintings featuring imagery from Christianity.

Paintings: 19th-20th century
The New Wing displays 19th to early 20th century French paintings, including works by Delacroix, Courbet, Manet, Renoir, Monet, Van Gogh, Gauguin, and Moreau. [ [http://www.nmwa.go.jp/en/collection/group4.html NMWA pre-WWII artists] ] The galleries also feature works by the next generation of artists, such as Marquet, Picasso, Soutin, Ernst, Miro, Dubuffet and Pollock. [ [http://www.nmwa.go.jp/en/collection/group5.html NMWA post-WWII artists] ]

Drawings
The NMWA drawing collection centers on works by such 18th to 19th century French artists as Boucher, Fragonard, Delacroix, Moreau, Rodin, and Cezanne.

Prints
The prints collection features works by Durer, Holbein, Rembrandt, Callot, Piranesi, Goya, and Klinger, ranging from the 15th century through the early 20th century. [ [http://www.nmwa.go.jp/en/education/prints-drawings.html NMWA prints study] ]

Le Corbusier's building

The Main Building was designed by the swiss architect Charles-Edouard Jeanneret-Gris (1887-1965), who is more popularly known as Le Corbusier. It is the only representative example of his work in the Far East; [Watanabe, Hiroshi. (2001). [http://books.google.com/books?id=zkkjpWYS8icC&pg=PA124&dq=Matsukata+Kojiro&lr=&sig=lIiS4YuJzz6WI7G3OyIMAQHnl0c#PPA124,M1 "The Architecture of Tokyo: An Architectural History," pp. 123] -124.] and the "New York Times" review of its opening suggested that the building itself presented an "artistic significance and beauty" which rivaled the paintings inside. [Falk, Ray. [http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F0081EF73D5F1A7B93C3AB178DD85F4D8585F9&scp=1&sq=matsukata+kojiro&st=p "French Art in Tokyo,"] "New York Times." June 21, 1959.] The multi-story, reinforced concrete building was completed in March 1959 as a symbol of the resumption of diplomatic ties between Japan and France after World War II. [http://www.nmwa.go.jp/en/about/building.html NMWA building] ]

In 1998, the importance of the structure was underscored when it was included in the former Ministry of Construction's survey -- as on of the hundred selected public buildings (the "Kokyo Kenchiku 100 Sen") which are outstanding and "well established in the local community." [see above] ]

Union catalog

The "Union Catalog of the Collections of the National Art Museums, Japan" is an consolidated catalog of material held by the four Japanese national art museums -- the National Museum of Modern Art at Kyoto (MOMAK), the National Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo (MOMAT), the National Museum of Art in Osaka (NMAO), and the Nation the National Museum of Western Art at Tokyo (NMWA): [http://search.artmuseums.go.jp/search_e/ IAI-National Museums of Art union catalog] ]

* National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto (MOMAK). [ [http://www.momak.go.jp/English/searchCollection.html MOMAK union catalog] ]
* National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo (MOMAT)
* National Museum of Art, Osaka (NMAO)
* The National Museum of Western Art (NMWA)

The online version of this union catalog is currently under construction, with only selected works available at this time. [see above] ]

Notes

References

* Watanabe, Hiroshi. (2001). [http://books.google.com/books?id=zkkjpWYS8icC&pg=PA124&dq=Matsukata+Kojiro&lr=&sig=lIiS4YuJzz6WI7G3OyIMAQHnl0c#PPA124,M1 "The Architecture of Tokyo: An Architectural History."] Tokyo: Edition Axel Menges. 10-ISBN 3-930-69893-5
* Bijutskan, Kokuritsu Seiyo. (1978). [http://books.google.com/books?id=qsgaHAAACAAJ&dq=national+museum+of+western+art&client=firefox-a&source=gbs_book_other_versions_r&cad=0_2 "Masterpieces of the National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo."] Tokyo: National Museum of Western Art.

ee also

* List of Independent Administrative Institutions (Japan)

External links

* [http://www.nmwa.go.jp/en/index.html National Museum of Western Art website]
* [http://www.insecula.com/us/musee/M0239.html See panoramic 360° view of NMWA plaza, including Rodin sculpture]