National Museum of Western Art (NMWA) in Tokyo

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Facts & Figures

Located in Tokyo’s Ueno Park, the National Museum of Western Art (Kokuritsu Seiyo Bijutsukan) is Japan’s only site listed under UNESCO’s Architectural Work of Le Corbusier. It is also known by its English acronym, NMWA. Designed by the Swiss-French modernist Le Corbusier (1887 – 1965), the building features his signature use of raw concrete and geometric forms. Best Places to Stay in Tokyo > The museum’s collection of European masterpieces, spanning from the Renaissance to the early 20th century, makes it well worth a visit. One of its centerpieces is the art collection of Kojiro Matsukata (1865 – 1950), a wealthy Japanese businessman. It includes more than 6000 works by famous painters and sculptors such as Claude Monet, Gustave Courbet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Peter Paul Rubens, Paul Cezanne, Paul Gauguin, Vincent van Gogh, Edgar Degas, and Francois-Auguste-Rene Rodin. Since its foundation, the museum has acquired new works every year to expand its permanent collection. More than one million visitors come here annually.

• National Museum of Western Art (NMWA)
• Opening Hours - 9:30 am to 5:30 pm (last entry 5:00 pm)
• Opening Hours - Fridays and Saturdays 9:30 am to 8:00 pm (last entry 7:30 pm)
• Closed - on Mondays and from December 28th to January 1st
• Admission Fee - 500 yen (Adults), 250 yen (College students), free (High school students and younger, younger than 18, and over 65)

History

Established in 1959, the National Museum of Western Art (NMWA) gained UNESCO World Heritage status in 2016, becoming Japan’s 20th listed site. It is Japan’s only national institution with such a focus. Everything began with the Matsukata Collection, which centers on exquisite Impressionist paintings and powerful sculptures by Auguste Rodin that were returned by the French government. Matsukata Kojiro (1865 – 1950) was a Japanese industrialist who collected these works between 1920 and 1923. This collection shaped the museum’s early character and continues to stand as one of its most captivating highlights. After World War II, the artworks were in the hands of France and Britain, but the Japanese government succeeded in retrieving them on the condition that a French architect would design the museum. Ultimately, Le Corbusier (1887–1965) was chosen for the project. He worked on the plans together with architects Junzo Sakakura (1901 – 1969), Kunio Maekawa (1905 – 1986), and Takamasa Yoshizaka (1917 – 1980). Since 2001, the NMWA has been a standalone administrative corporation and is directed under the umbrella organization known as the Independent Administrative Institution National Museum of Art.

Sightseeing Spots at the National Museum of Western Art (NMWA)

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Main Building by Le Corbusier - The permanent collection is on display here.

New Wing by architect Maekawa Kunio (1905 – 1986) - As the permanent collection continued to grow, more space was needed, and this new wing was completed in 1979.

Outdoor Sculpture Garden - This open-air gallery hosts a magnificent collection of Auguste Rodin’s bronzes. The Thinker (Le Penseur) is perhaps his most famous work.

Festival & Events in Ueno Park (dates can change without notice)

March

Ueno Sakura Matsuri (March 20 – April 8)
Celebrate the cherry blossom festival at Ueno Park under approximately 1200 cherry trees. Enjoy daily events around Shinobazu-no-ike Pond within Ueno Park.

July

Ueno Summer Festival (Ueno Natsu Matsuri) (July 13 - August 12)
The highlight of the Ueno Natsu Matsuri is the parade featuring folk dancing and local performing arts, held on July 21 (Saturday) along Chuo-dori Avenue.