TFAM’s European painting exhibition opens in Toyama

On October 17, the Toyama Prefectural Museum of Art and Design held the opening ceremony of “400 Years of European Paintings: Masterpieces from Tokyo Fuji Art Museum” exhibition. The event, organized to commemorate the Toyama museum’s fifth anniversary, was sponsored by the host museum, the Toyama prefectural government and The Kitanippon Shimbun newspaper. Toyama Governor Hachiro Nitta, The Kitanippon Shimbun president Makoto Kamachi, TFAM Director Akira Gokita and Executive Director Akira Kaneko attended the ceremony, with Gokita serving as guest speaker.

The exhibition in Toyama features 83 pieces created from the 16th century Italian Renaissance to the 20th century Europe-wide. It will open from September 17 and run until November 20.

Nine Manet works from TFAM’s collection to be shown at Nerima Art Museum

Edouard Manet’s “The Promenade (Madame Gamby)” from the Tokyo Fuji Art Museum collection will be shown at the Nerima Art Museum in Tokyo from September 9 to November 3. Manet painted “The Promenade” among some 30 portraits, landscapes and still lifes while recovering from an illness. Eight copper prints by Manet will also be displayed during the exhibition period.

TFAM’s Robert Capa exhibition to open at Kobe Fashion Museum

On September 9, the Kobe Fashion Museum (KFM) held the opening ceremony (photo) of the exhibition “Robert Capa,” which the Tokyo Fuji Art Museum organized drawing on some 100 works from its extensive photography collection. The exhibition is sponsored by KFM as well as the Kobe Shimbun Co. Ltd. and Mainichi Shimbun newspapers. TFAM Director Akira Gokita attended the event as its guest speaker, as did KFM Director Teruyuki Omode and Kobe Shimbun President Ryutaro Takanashi. The exhibition will run from September 10 to November 6.

TFAM offers online viewing service during renovation

Because the Tokyo Fuji Art Museum has been undergoing major renovation from August 29 and reopen some time in July 2023, artworks displayed in previous exhibitions and information relevant to those pieces can be viewed on the Japan Search website: https://jpsearch.go.jp/organization/fujibi. Viewers can access the following six TFAM exhibitions: “Masterpieces of Chinese Ceramics” (2014); “From Hokusai to Hiroshige: Grand Masters of Ukiyo-e Art” (2015); “Katana—A Millennium of Swordsmith Mastery: Premiering the Latest Acquisitions of Japanese Swords” (2016); “Exotic, Exquisite Copperplate Works of Manet” (2019); “THIS IS JAPAN IN TOKYO (2020); “Western Prints: Its History and Allure” (2021); and “Hokusai, Hiroshige, Yoshida, and Hasui: Landscape of Journey in Japanese Woodblock Prints” (2022).

Museum holds curator internship

The Tokyo Fuji Art Museum concluded its 2022 curator internship on August 21. Twelve recommended interns from a number of Japanese universities took part in the program. The program’s curriculum included a series of lectures by TFAM curators, pre-exhibition preparations, artwork management and artwork handling. The six-day internship ended on August 28.

TFAM holds special art appreciation program for local Hachioji elementary school students

On August 27, students from the Toyo Elementary School, their guardians and other elementary school kids in the city of Hachoji, took part in a Tokyo Fuji Art Museum community art appreciation program. The children scrutinized the characters featured in the “Moomin Comic Strips Exhibition” and participated in other activities that included creating short stories of the artworks displayed in the “From the Renaissance to the 20 Century—500 Years of Western Paintings” exhibition.

Madagascar charge d’affairs visits museum

On August 25, Charge d’Affaires Randrianjafy Tsilavo Maherizo (photo) of the Republic of Madagascar Embassy in Japan, paid a courtesy call on the Tokyo Fuji Art Museum. She was greeted by TFAM Director Akira Gokita, who led her on a tour of the “Moomin Comic Strips Exhibition” as well as the “From the Renaissance to the 20 Century—500 Years of Western Paintings” and “Vehicles in Photography: The Evolution of Transportation Modes” exhibitions.

Museum holds workshop on ukiyo-e woodblock printing

On August 20, the Tokyo Fuji Art Museum organized a workshop featuring two master woodblock artists—Shinkichi Numabe and his son, Hironobu—to demonstrate the printing process and personal artistry to the gathered audience. Much to their delight, viewers later tried their hand in an engraving session of an authentic printing block.

Museum to undergo major repair, closed for 10 months

The Tokyo Fuji Art Museum will be closed to the public from August 29, 2022 due to maintenance to be carried out to the facility and equipment, with completion slated for some time in July 2023. Among the work being planned are upgrades to protect and preserve over the long term the museum’s collection of fine art. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and will inform visitors as to the specific date our museum will reopen. We thank you for your patience and look forward to your continued patronage.

TFAM holds special summer vacation concert

On August 7, the Tokyo Fuji Art Museum held a concert performed by aspiring young musicians (photo) as part of the museum’s special summer vacation event for families. Three seniors studying at the Tokyo University of the Arts who call themselves the Gentile Trio—Miyu Kitsuwa, a violinist; Yushi Izumi on the cello; and Yume Kurosawa, a pianist—have won awards in competitions both at home and abroad, and are seen as rising stars in the music field. They played a number of classical scores and pop music for the audience, including Bach’s Air on the G String and Elgar’s Salut d’amour, together with Disney favorites and a medley from the 1988 Italian film “Cinema Paradiso.”