National Museum of Western Art
National Museum of Western Art Tokyo: read a guide to National Museum of Western Art Tokyo in Ueno Park, Tokyo, Japan.
National Museum of Western Art Tokyo 国立西洋美術館
Hercules the Archer by Rodin, National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo, Ueno Park, Tokyo
The National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo is in Ueno Park in Taito ward. On permanent display is the Museum's 58-piece Rodin collection, several pieces of which are located in front of the museum, including the Thinker, Hercules the Archer and the Gates of Hell.
The National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo was established in 1959. Its Main Building is the work of the French architect Le Corbusier (who also worked on the design of the UN Headquarters building). The National Museum of Western Art's collection covers Western paintings and drawings from the 15th to 20th centuries with the emphasis on France and French art, especially Impressionism. The National Museum of Western Art building is part of the transnational UNESCO World Heritage Site of "The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier," so designated in 2016.
History
The museum was built to house what remained of the extensive art collection of the shipping mogul and first president of what is now Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Kojiro Matsukata (1865-1950). Matsukata (the third son of a Japanese prime minister of the same name) collected a huge body of Western art in the form of paintings, sculpture (including numerous Rodins, cast from the original molds) and decorative works, as well as a collection of Japanese ukiyoe woodblock prints that got dispersed but has been largely restored.
National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo, Ueno Park, Tokyo
Rodin sculpture in front of National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo, Ueno Park, Tokyo
Matsukata was a personal friend of Claude Monet, and as such had privileged access to many now very famous works. Much of the Matsukata collection was left in storage in Europe before World War II, and much was destroyed in the war. What was left was taken over by the French government after the Second World War, and was donated to Japan in the 1950s.
The National Museum of Western Art also includes an art research library with 27,000 volumes including catalogs, monographs and art reference books.
Currently Exhibiting
See what's on now at the National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo.
Hours and Admission
Open 9.30am - 5pm, Friday & Saturday 9.30am - 8pm (Last admission 30 minutes before closing time). Closed: Mondays, and December 28 - January 1
Regular admission: 500 yen for adults. Free admission to Museum Permanent Collection on the second and the fourth Saturdays of each month, May 18 and November 3.
Working out the "N," "M," "W" and "A."
Access
The National Museum of Western Art is one minute from Ueno Station on the JR Yamanote Line (Park Exit ) and within 10 minutes on foot from either Keisei Ueno Station (Main Exit ) on the Keisei Line, Ueno Subway Station on the Ginza Line (Exit 7), or Ueno Subway Station on Hibiya Line (Exit 7).
The National Museum of Western Art
7-7 Ueno-koen
Taito-ku
Tokyo
110-0007
Tel: 03-3828-5131
Fax 03-3828-5135
