On February 14, the Tokyo Fuji Art Museum held a press conference at the Embassy of the Italian Republic in Tokyo to announce the opening of the exhibition, “A Monumental Journey to the Far Side of the World: The Art of Renaissance Italy and the Boys of Tensho-Era Japan.” In his opening remarks, His Excellency Domenico Giorgi, Ambassador of the Italian Republic to Japan, expressed his hopes for the exhibition’s success, noting that it revolved around a groundbreaking event in history—the first-ever delegation from Japan sent to Italy and Europe in the 16th century.
“A Monumental Journey” features some 80 representative works of the Italian Renaissance at a time when four Japanese boys were dispatched to Italy and were granted an audience with Pope Gregory XIII.
TFAM Director Akira Gokita also spoke at the event, along with Hidehiro Ikegami, professor of Tokyo Zokei University’s faculty of art and design.
