Kurashiki, Japan
1 Chome-1-15 Central
N/A
+81864220005
This is an awesome museum. It not only contains a selection of some of the best of Western art but has an interesting collection of Japanese paintings and contemporary sculpture. Unfortunately outside of the main collection there is little English signage. A smart phone should deal with that issue. That said it's well worth a visit.
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It is the beginning of Japanese western art. A great place for people what a rich man can do to enrich other people.s life.
The Japanese are often too humble and reserved when it comes to their cultural institutions. There’s more than enough for a movie in the story of the friendship between industrialist, Ohara, and a masterful artist and stylist, Kojima, who bought priceless masterworks directly from European artists to build the first museum of western art in Japan. Rodin’s sculptures were in trade for Japanese woodblock prints. Monet sold his haystacks directly. These stories could be better told. I learned them from a stray book sitting in the gallery. In wartime before local Japanese soldiers were set to deploy, it is written that many came to the gallery and stood in contemplation of the art. To be at once inspired by western achievement and, by honor, set to fight the descendants of that legacy is a profound contradiction, and I find it enormously to the credit of the museum that they kept the art on view as best they could throughout the war years. It gives some small insight into the Japanese character to not toss the art despite conflict, and especially that the gallery purchased several significant works of American art in the immediate postwar years. The design of the galleries and the annex are architecturally interesting. It is true that there is some need of small renovations in places but the museum is not at all shabby, as some reviews have implied. This gallery is a must see. One also encounters the work of Kojima, who was a stylistic genius capable of creating art in several European styles he had mastered. He should be famous in the west and it is perhaps only due to his very short life that he is not. One can see why famous French artists were willing to deal with him directly. His talent is hard to overstate.
A very interesting collection of artworks ranging from Renoir, Degas, Pollock, and artists like Fujishima Takeji, Aoki Shigeru, Kishida Ryūsei that I didn't know but have created beautiful artworks!
Nice museum with a decent collection of Western and Japanese artists. Too bad they don't allow pictures inside.
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