Permanent Collection 3rd term 2019 「Tales of now and then about Takamatsu Art Museum」

In 1988, the same year as the opening of Seto Ohashi (the Great Seto Bridge), the long-awaited “Takamatsu Art Museum” was relocated from Ritsurin Garden to the city center (the site of the Takamatsu branch of the Bank of Japan) adjacent to the shopping district. As the old art museum had become obsolete, the citizens had renewed their desire to build a new art museum that would serve as a base for local art and cultural activities.
　　During the period when the museum was developing various museum projects, such as the formation of systematic collections according to the collection policy, the exhibition of works in the permanent exhibition room, the planning of special exhibitions and the spread of education, the Setouchi Triennale started in 2010. This was an added boost for the museum, which was highly acclaimed both domestically and internationally for its contemporary art collection. “Takamatsu Contemporary Art Annual vol.00” started the year before in 2009, taking advantage of the excitement surrounding contemporary art. It took an annual format that is unusual throughout Japan and this year is the 9th time for the Annual to be held. The activities of the artists whose works are held in the museum’s collection can also be seen at the Triennale-style Setouchi International Art Festival (fourth time this year), held on the 12 islands of the Seto Inland Sea and centered in the Fukutake Foundation art sites in Naoshima, Teshima and Inujima, as well as in Takamatsu and Uno. In this exhibition, 23 artists from the Setouchi Triennale will be introduced and exhibited, and you will be able to enjoy a variety of works that are different to those exhibited on the islands.

　　After the end of the Second World War, in March 1946, Bokkei Akashi, who was repatriated from POW life in Nanjing, decided to reconstruct his war-torn hometown through art and made every effort to help the construction of the Takamatsu Art Museum, becoming the center of the fund-raising campaign. In addition, Takamatsu City councilor Kahei Kawano also worked towards reusing the “Science Museum” that was constructed in Ritsurin Garden, as the Art Museum. The “Science Museum” was built for the “The Takamatsu Tourism Exposition” (held from March to May 1949) that was planned to help reconstruction and commemorate the 60th anniversary of Takamatsu becoming a city. The art world focused on artists such as Senroku Kitahara and Joshin Isoi, and the Takamatsu Art Museum opened as the first public art museum after the war. The art museum was designed by architect Bunzo Yamaguchi (a master of modernist architecture who studied under Gropius), introduced by Genichiro Inokuma, based in Tokyo. On 3rd November 1949, Chairman Sojiro Hosotani (Takamatsu Art Museum Construction Cooperation Committee) said in his introduction in front of an audience of 100, “This museum is not meant to be used by travelers outside the prefecture, but is intended to cultivate the artistic sentiments of people who live in the prefecture.”
　　In the year following the opening of the museum, the Art Institute was opened, and painting instruction for elementary, junior and senior high school students began. Until 1987, it held exhibition projects to convey the trends in the center of the art world in real time, such as the Nitten, the Japan Fine Arts Institute Exhibition (Inten), the Contemporary Art Exhibition of Japan, the Japan International Art Exhibition, the Yasui Award Exhibition and also art exhibition projects to recognize artists connected to the hometown of Takamatsu. In this exhibition, we will look back on the Ritsurin Garden-era art museum that was opened shortly after the war, with the works of 17 artists.

Period：
September 28(Sat.)-December 22(Mon.),2019
　　
Venue：
Permanent Collection Gallery
　　
Closed：
Monday(the following weekday if Monday is a holiday)
　　
Hours：
Tuseday - Saturday & Holidays: 9:30 - 17:00 (Entry until 16:30)
*Until 19:00 during special exhibitions from Tuesday through Saturday and national holidays *Last entry is 30 minutes prior to closing.
　　
Organized by:
TAKAMATSU ART MUSEUM
　　
Admission：
【General 】200yen（160yen)
【University students】150yen (120yen)
【High school age or younger／ Seniors 65+】Admission free
※Advance Purchase and Groups of 20 or More Get Discounts (pricing in parenthesis)
※Free admission for those with a physical disability certificate, rehabilitation certificate, or mental disability certificate.
　　
Telephone Inquiry
Takamatsu Art Museum
TEL +81-87-823-1711