After a year and a half of renovations, The National Museum of Western Art – famously designed by French architect and painter Le Corbusier – is finally reopening to visitors this month. Established in 1959, the museum has been closed for maintenance since October 19 2020 but will be back in business starting April 9.
Officially recognised as a Unesco World Heritage Site in 2006, this is Japan’s only national museum devoted to Western art. The permanent collection boasts works ranging from Renaissance masterpieces to paintings from the early 20th century – most notably one of Monet’s ‘Water Lilies’ completed in 1916.
Upon reopening, the museum will be showing pieces from its permanent collection as well as new acquisitions from Renaissance masters including Dürer and Rembrandt. You'll also get to see a collection of Le Corbusier’s works titled ‘Towards Harmony’, which features 20 of the artist’s later drawings borrowed from Taisei Corporation.
There will be more exciting shows to look forward to later this spring, with an upcoming exhibition in collaboration with the Van Gogh Museum in the Netherlands and the Folkwang Museum in Essen, Germany which will run from June 4 to September 11. Highlights will include the ‘Woman Before the Setting Sun’ painting by Caspar David Friedrich.
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