Art Museums · Modern Heritage · Historic Buildings
The National Museum of Western Art国立西洋美術館
- Location
- Tokyo Taitō City
- Opened
- 1959
Photo: Suicasmo, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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Overview
The only building Le Corbusier left in Japan.
A museum opened in 1959 to house and display the Matsukata Collection, donated and returned by France. The main building was designed by Le Corbusier, with detailed design and supervision carried out by his disciples Kunio Maekawa, Junzō Sakakura and Takamasa Yoshizaka.
It reflects his concept of the "museum of unlimited growth", in which galleries extend in a spiral as the collection expands. It was designated an Important Cultural Property in 2007, and in 2016 inscribed as a component of the World Heritage Site "The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier".
This description has been translated from the Japanese original.
Official website03
Data
Only verified information is shown.
- Opened
- 1959
- Architect
- Le Corbusier (detailed design: Kunio Maekawa, Junzō Sakakura, Takamasa Yoshizaka)
- Use
- Art museum
- Location
- 7-7 Uenokōen, Taitō City, Tokyo
- Designated Important Cultural Property
- 2007
- Inscribed as World Heritage
- 2016
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Gallery
6 photographs
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Videos
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Architect
Le Corbusier
Le Corbusier1887–1965
An architect born in Switzerland and active in France. He proposed the Five Points of Modern Architecture and had a decisive influence on 20th-century architecture.
The main building of the National Museum of Western Art is his only work in Japan. In 2016 it was inscribed as a World Heritage Site as one of the 17 sites in seven countries that make up "The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier".
Kunio Maekawa
Kunio Maekawa1905–1986
Born in Niigata Prefecture. After graduating from Tokyo Imperial University he went to France and trained in Le Corbusier's atelier. On returning to Japan he worked to establish modernist architecture in the country.
He designed many public and cultural buildings, notably Tokyo Bunka Kaikan in Ueno Park. At the National Museum of Western Art, he was one of the disciples who realised Le Corbusier's design on the Japanese side.
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Location
7-7 Uenokōen, Taitō City, Tokyo
08
Related Architecture
Cultural FacilitiesModern ArchitectureTokyo Bunka Kaikan
東京文化会館
- Location
- Taitō City, Tokyo
- Opened
- 1961
- Architect
- Kunio Maekawa
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旧岩崎家住宅
- Location
- Taitō City, Tokyo
- Completed
- 1896
- Architect
- Josiah Conder
StationsHistoric BuildingsTokyo Station Marunouchi Building
東京駅丸の内駅舎
- Location
- Chiyoda City, Tokyo
- Opened
- 1914
- Architect
- Kingo Tatsuno, Manji Kasai
Art MuseumsModern ArchitectureMitsubishi Ichigokan
三菱一号館
- Location
- Chiyoda City, Tokyo
- Reconstruction completed
- 2009
- Architect
- Original design: Josiah Conder
09
Sources
References
- 国立西洋美術館 — WikipediaWikipedia日本語版
- Wikidata Q1362629Wikidata
- 国立西洋美術館 公式サイト国立西洋美術館
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Photo Credits
Image sources, authors and licences
01The National Museum of Western Art 20200320.jpg
Photo: Suicasmo
CC BY-SA 4.0·CC BY-SA (Attribution-ShareAlike)·Wikimedia Commons
02National museum of western art05s3200.jpg
Photo: 663highland
CC BY-SA 4.0·CC BY-SA (Attribution-ShareAlike)·Wikimedia Commons
03The Burghers of Calais in Japan.jpg
Photo: Takuro1202
CC BY-SA 3.0·CC BY-SA (Attribution-ShareAlike)·Wikimedia Commons
042018 National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo.jpg
Photo: Kakidai
CC BY-SA 4.0·CC BY-SA (Attribution-ShareAlike)·Wikimedia Commons
05Tokyo National Museum of Western Art Interior 2.jpg
Photo: Ymblanter
CC BY-SA 4.0·CC BY-SA (Attribution-ShareAlike)·Wikimedia Commons
06Tokyo National Museum of Western Art Interior 3.jpg
Photo: Ymblanter
CC BY-SA 4.0·CC BY-SA (Attribution-ShareAlike)·Wikimedia Commons
- Photos have been resized and colour-graded for consistent display. Adapted CC BY-SA photos may be reused under the same licence terms.