The National Museum of Western Art

The National Museum of Western Art is Japan’s foremost museum dedicated to Western art, housing an outstanding collection of masterpieces built around the renowned Matsukata Collection, assembled by Kojiro Matsukata in the early twentieth century.
Matsukata was an industrialist who served as the first president of Kawasaki Dockyard, now Kawasaki Heavy Industries, and was also active in politics. He collected artworks in countries such as the United Kingdom and France, building a remarkable collection of Western art.
However, toward the end of World War II, the artworks in his collection that remained in France were confiscated by the French government as enemy property.Subsequent negotiations led to an agreement that the artworks would be returned on the condition that a dedicated museum be established in Japan. As a result, the National Museum of Western Art was completed in 1959.
The museum was designed by Le Corbusier, the renowned French architect whose work helped define twentieth-century modern architecture. The building employs a structural system in which the floors are supported by columns, allowing for a flexible interior layout. The exterior walls are also notable for their carefully crafted pebble finish.
Inside, the design incorporates ramps and open spaces that bring natural light deep into the building. In 2016, the museum was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as one of the sites comprising The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier, an Outstanding Contribution to the Modern Movement, a group of architectural works located across seven countries on three continents.
The museum’s collection comprises more than 6,000 works, including masterpieces, prints, and outstanding Impressionist paintings. Spending a day immersed in these remarkable works of art is an experience well worth savoring.

※Photo courtesy of the National Museum of Western Art. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.