The National Museum of Western Art

The National Museum of Western Art  (国立西洋美術館 Kokuritsu Seiyō Bijutsukan) is located in Ueno Park, Tokyo.

It was established in 1959 as Japan’s museum specializing in Western art. Originally, the museum housed the personal collection of Japanese industrialist Matsukata Kojiro (1865-1950) a personal friend of Claude Monet. The galleries of the Museum feature pre-18th century paintings including those by Ritzos, Van Cleve, Veronese, Rubens, Van Ruysdael, and Ribera, 19th to early 20th century French paintings including works by Delacroix, Courbet, Manet, Renoir, Monet, Van Gogh, Gauguin, and Moreau and works by the next generation of artists, such as Marquet, Picasso, Soutin, Ernst, Miro, Dubuffet and Pollock. On permanent display is also the Museum’s 58-piece Rodin collection.

The Main Building was designed by Swiss-French architect Le Corbusier (1887-1965). In July 2016 UNESCO listed 17 works by Le Corbusier as World Heritage Sites, including the 1959 National Museum of Western Art building.

Auguste Rodin’s “Burghers of Calais”

 

Auguste Rodin’s “The Thinker” in front of the museum

 

Auguste Rodin’s “The Gates of Hell”

 

Opening hours:
Permanent Collection: 9:30 – 17:30
Fridays and Saturdays: 9:30 – 20:00, 30 November 2019 9:30 – 17:30
Admission: 500 yen (Adults)
Free Admission for permanent collection only: The second and the fourth Saturdays of each month, May 18, and November 3.

Access:
JR Yamanote Line, 1 minute from Ueno Station, Park Exit
Keisei Line, 7minutes from Keisei Ueno Station
Ginza or Hibiya Subway Lines, 8 minutes from Ueno Station
Address: 7-7 Ueno-koen, Taito-ku, Tokyo 110-0007

The Calendar of Special Exhibition/Permanent collection (Museum website)

Photos: Junko Nagata © Japanbyweb.com

MAP