TFAM to take part in Sweden-Japan diplomatic anniversary

On January 30, a special ceremony and press conference to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Sweden and Japan was held at the Swedish Embassy in Japan.

Tokyo Fuji Art Museum Director Akira Gokita and other TFAM officials attended the occasion at which His Excellency Ambassador Plenipotentiary of Sweden Magnus Robach announced that a series of commemorative events would be held honoring the anniversary. As a part of the art exhibition section, it was disclosed that the exhibition “Pippi Longstocking and the World of Astrid Lindgren” would be opening on July 28 at TFAM.

Ambassador Robach expressed high expectations for the Pippi exhibition, saying that he hoped that Japanese of all ages would take to such tales from his country. He also noted that the life and progressive legacy of Astrid Lindgren, the creator of Pippi Longstocking, would help promote cultural exchange between the people of Sweden and Japan.

A press conference with TFAM director Gokita and Ambassador Robach was held on January 23 to preface the ceremony.

The exhibition “Pippi Longstocking and the World of Astrid Lindgren” will be held from July 28 at TFAM and will travel throughout Japan thereafter.

PHOTO CAPTION: Swedish Ambassador Magnus Robach and Director Gokita.

TFAM holds Mozart concert honoring Higashiyama Kaii

On January 14, the Tokyo Fuji Art Museum held the “Higashiyama Kaii’s Beloved Pieces of Mozart–A Piano Recital by Takashi Sato” as a side event of special retrospective on renowned Nihonga artist Higashiyama Kaii.

A talented and award-winning pianist, Takashi Sato (photo) performed various Mozart pieces, including the second movement of Piano Concerto No. 23, which reportedly inspired Higashiyama when he painted his masterpiece, “Green Resonance.”*

The next concert in the series honoring the Japanese artist is scheduled on February 25.

Dresden State Art Collections’ Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister Director visits TFAM

On January 4, Dr. Stepan Koja, Director of the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister of the Dresden State Art Collections, visited the Tokyo Fuji Art Museum.

Dr. Koja was a curator in the Belvedere Palace Museum in Vienna when TFAM held the “Exhibition of Klimt and Impressionism in Vienna” in 1996 and worked as an academic supervisor for the exhibition.

On the day of his first visit in Japan in 22 years, he enjoyed the retrospective of Higashiyama Kaii and the permanent exhibition of European paintings. He also conversed with Director Akira Gokita regarding future exhibitions and exchanging of artworks and collections.

Soka University holds peace studies lecture at TFAM

On Friday, December 15, some 250 students of Soka University visited the Tokyo Fuji Art Museum to attend the second in a series of peace studies lectures held by their university. The aim of the lecture was to utilizing TFAM’s permanent collection to build peace by maximizing the numerous tools and equipment—including QR codes, onsite PCs to search and study artists and their works, and photographing works on display with their smartphones—at their disposal.

TFAM welcomes mayor of Sochi, Russia

On December 21, a delegation from the Russian city of Sochi led by Mayor Anatoly Pakhomov paid a goodwill visit to the Tokyo Fuji Art Museum. TFAM Director Akira Gokita welcomed the Sochi delegates and guided them on a tour of the “From the Renaissance to the 20th Century—500 Years of Western Paintings” exhibition on permanent display.

Announcement of the change over to a new exhibition

From January 2, 2018, the Tokyo Fuji Art Museum will open the “Higashiyama Kaii: From the Nagano Prefectural Shinano Art Museum Higashiyama Kaii Gallery” exhibition. The last day of it will be shown is March 4.

The exhibition is being held in commemoration of the artist’s 110th anniversary of his birth as well as the 35th anniversary of TFAM’s founding.

Higashiyama (1908-99) is one of the most popular Nihonga-style painters in postwar Japan, renowned for his evocative landscapes that focused on the four seasons of Japan, natural settings of the world and street scenes.

In the TFAM exhibition, some 80 works—primarily on loan from the famous collection of The Nagano Prefectural Shinano Art Museum’s Higashiyama Kaii Gallery—will be on display. These include European and Nordic landscapes, the four seasons of Kyoto and a series of landscapes with white horses. In addition, many of Higashiyama’s priceless preparatory sketches and studies for his paintings will be on display, depicting the artist’s process of creation.

Preparations underway to open Higashiyama Kaii exhibit

This week, the Tokyo Fuji Art Museum commenced preparations to hold the “Higashiyama Kaii: From The Nagano Prefectural Shinano Art Museum Higashiyama Kaii Gallery” exhibition, which will open from January 2, 2018. The retrospective will feature some 80 artworks by Higashiyama (1908-99), an acclaimed Nihonga-style artist renowned for his uniquely evocative paintings of Japan’s four seasons, natural settings from around the world and ordinary streetscapes, transforming them into scenes transcending the mere material into something deeply metaphysical.

The exhibition—which celebrates the 110th anniversary of Higashiyama’s birth as well as the 35th anniversary of TFAM’s founding—was made possible through the generous support of The Nagano Prefectural Shinano Art Museum and its collection of the artist’s works.

Delegation from national museum of Taiwan visits TFAM

On December 3, a delegation from the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts led by Deputy Director Chao-Jung Chen paid a goodwill visit to the Tokyo Fuji Art Museum. TFAM Director Akira Gokita welcomed the Taiwanese delegates, engaging them in discussions on possible future collaborations on exhibitions in an effort to further promote cultural exchange. Following their talk, the visitors viewed two TFAM exhibitions—“A Monumental Journey to the Far Side of the World: The Art of Renaissance Italy and the Boys of Tensho-Era Japan” and “From the Renaissance to the 20th Century—500 Years of Western Paintings.”

Located in Taichung, the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts was established in 1988 and boasts collections of major Taiwanese artists, drawing more than one million visitors every year. The Taiwan museum has hosted several TFAM exhibitions to date, including “On Site: A Centennial Retrospective of Robert Capa” in 2013 and “The Art of Ukiyo-e: Selected Works from the Tokyo Fuji Art Museum Collection” in 2016.

TFAM signs partnership agreement with Russian museum

On November 16, the Tokyo Fuji Art Museum and the State Russian Museum signed a letter of understanding in which the two institutions agreed to collaborate on future cultural exchange initiatives together. The signing took place in St. Petersburg, with Director Vladimir Gusev representing the Russian museum and Director Akira Gokita representing TFAM.

The partnership was made possible under the auspices of the Russian government and will cover joint exhibitions and other projects to strengthen and augment bilateral cultural exchange.

The State Russian Museum was originally founded in 1895 and is home to the largest collection of Russian fine art in St. Petersburg. TFAM has worked with the Russian art museum in the past, hosting the “The Ninth Wave: The Tokyo Fuji Art Museum 20th Anniversary Special Exhibition” in Japan from 2003 to 2004 and the “Masterpieces of the State Russian Museum from the Late 18th Century to Early 20th Century” in 2008.

Hachioji elementary school students visit TFAM

Fourth-, fifth- and sixth-graders of the Hachioji Higashi-Asakawa Elementary School visited the Tokyo Fuji Art Museum on three separate days between October 24 and 27 as part of their art appreciation program. After viewing the exhibition, “From the Renaissance to the 20th Century—500 Years of Western Paintings” in the Permanent Gallery, the students joined volunteer aides from nearby Soka University in discussing their impressions of the works on display.