National Museum of Western Art Pamphlet (Architectural Works by Le Corbusier and Kunio Maekawa) [Museum Overview] The National Museum of Western Art was established in April 1959 to publicly exhibit works related to Western art, based on the Matsukata Collection (a collection of French art, mainly Impressionist paintings and Rodin sculptures) donated and returned by the French government. Since then, as the only national museum broadly focused on Western art, it has been engaged in exhibition activities, as well as the collection, research, preservation, restoration, education, and publication of works and materials related to Western art. Among these activities, the museum holds permanent exhibitions throughout the year in the Main Building (designed by Le Corbusier, 1959) and the New Wing (designed by Kunio Maekawa, 1979), showcasing works from the Matsukata Collection, which is the founding principle of the museum, as well as works from the Renaissance to the early 20th century purchased annually since its establishment, and donated/consigned works. In addition, the museum holds special exhibitions using borrowed works from museums in Europe and the United States in the Planning Exhibition Hall, which was completed in fiscal year 1997, and co-organized exhibitions with newspapers and other organizations about three times a year, focusing on the introduction of Western art. Furthermore, from April 2001, the four national museums (at the time) were integrated into the Independent Administrative Institution National Museum, and the National Museum of Western Art became one of the museums established by the Independent Administrative Institution National Museum (external link). In July 2016, "The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier, an Outstanding Contribution to the Modern Movement" including the National Museum of Western Art as a constituent asset, was inscribed on the World Heritage List. Name Independent Administrative Institution National Museum, National Museum of Western Art Location 7-7 Ueno Park, Taito-ku, Tokyo 110-0007 Established April 1, 1959 Opened June 10, 1959 Director Masayuki Tanaka #NationalMuseumofWesternArt #LeCorbusier #Corbusier