Alla fine del mese apre a Tokyo un nuovo spazio espositivo, si tratta del Museo Isizashi Artizon Foundation, sotto la direzione di Ishibashi Hiroshi.
La sede è il nuovo complesso architettonico di Kyobashi, il Artizon Museum sarà uno sviluppo del Bridgestone Museum of Art, che ha goduto di una lunga e preziosa reputazione come raccolta di capolavori nell'arte moderna. Il Museo Artizon sarà un innovativo progetto architettonico che consentirà una fruizione contempornaea e approfondita delle opere esposte.
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History of Artizon Museum
In 1952, Bridgestone Museum of Art was founded by Ishibashi Shojiro, the founder of Bridgestone Corporation. Shojiro was an entrepreneur, but he was also one of Japan's prominent art collectors. He began collecting Western-style paintings by Japanese artists such as Aoki Shigeru and Fujishima Takeji, during the 1930s. After the war he set about becoming a serious collector of the paintings that had inspired these artists, including Impressionist and other French paintings. Over a period of two decades, he built a vast collection of Western-style paintings by Japanese and Western artists.
Shojiro was not interested in keeping the treasured collection to himself, but wished to dedicate himself to the nation's cultural enrichment by creating a museum where the art would be seen by many people. His Bridgestone Museum of Art opened to the public in 1952 on the second floor of the Bridgestone Building in Tokyo's Kyobashi district. It pre-dated the National Museum of Western Art and at the time was the only art museum in Tokyo offering a permanent exhibition of French art.
In 1956, he established the Ishibashi Foundation to carry on his dream. The foundation continues to manage the art museum under Shojiro’s principle, “For the Happiness and Welfare of All People”, to this day, maintaining its status as one of the more prestigious private museums in Japan. In 2012, the government recognized the public benefit of the Ishibashi Foundation and designated it a Public Interest Incorporated Foundation.
Reconstruction inspired new museum
Decision to reconstruct the Bridgestone Building was made in 2012. Housed in former company offices, the old museum suffered from a number of difficulties: galleries and backyards had insufficient space, large artworks could not be displayed under the low ceilings, and the entrance location was not advantageous. The decision to reconstruct the Bridgestone Building was made in 2012 and it provided an excellent opportunity to design a new museum from scratch and solve these long-standing issues. The original museum closed in May 2015 to prepare for construction of the new 23-story building.
NIKKEN SEKKEI was put in charge of design and construction management for the new building, while TONERICO, INC is responsible for design of the new museum, which will occupy the lower floors. Construction work was finished in July 2019.
A new direction for the new museum
The Artizon Museum is based on the concept of“Experiencing Creativity.” It will not only be dedicated to the appreciation of works of art, but also offers a venue where the creativity of past, present and future can be experienced to enhance new creativity in the minds of people.
The aim is to become a comprehensive museum that meets the needs of art lovers and draws new people to the appreciation of art, while respecting the former museum’s patrons from the past 65 years. The museum is expanding in scope to include antique art, modern Japanese painting in the style, the Western style, Impressionists, 20th century art and contemporary art.
Name change
The building project offered a chance for the museum to chart a new course. Taking advantage of the opportunity, it was decided to rename the museum in line with the museum’s concept:‘Experiencing Creativity.’The new name, ARTIZON MUSEUM, was coined from words‘art’and‘horizon', symbolizing the sense of birth of new art, artists and styles on the horizon. The new name embodies the desire to become a new museum in both name and substance.
Highly accessible location
Artizon Museum is located on the same site as the former Bridgestone Museum of Art, within walking distance of Tokyo Station which is Japan’s primary hub of railroad and bus services covering all corners of the nation. The new museum entrance is located on Chuo-dori, the main street linking Ginza with Akihabara and subway services nearby provide easy access for overseas visitors. Artizon Museum also hopes to be an ‘oasis' for business people who work in the commercial district of Kyobashi and its vicinity.
The new building
The new 23-story new building has been named Museum Tower Kyobashi and is a winner of 2020 CTBUH Award of Excellence. The upper levels are office floors, with the museum occupying the lower levels. Fitted with 30 modern seismic isolation bearings made of rubber, the building is designed to efficiently absorb major earthquakes. This structure also makes possible a spacious interior free of columns.
All electric system that supports vital functions . such as the generators and heat source equipment . are installed on the 8th and 9th floors to ensure that building functions are maintained in the event of disaster. Emergency generators are able to supply full power for 72 hours in case of serious power outage and, together, these features ensure that a keyword for the building is ‘resilience’
