May 13, 2022
Art, sculpture and architecture at the NMWA
In the first weekend of May I made the trip over to Ueno Park to visit the recently reopened Museum of Western Art where they were holding an exhibition on Le Corbusier, the world-renowned French architect who designed the museum building.
This was only my second time visiting an art museum in Tokyo and this one was a unique one with a really impressive range of Western art from all over Europe and from a wide range of different time periods in art history. I loved seeing them all in a different context and it felt as though you could walk through European art history as you went from one exhibition space to the next.
As you walk through the museum and the grounds, there are also different sculptures by the French sculptor Rodin (who created the famous sculpture 'The Thinker'!). These were a particular highlight for me!
The exhibition on Le Corbusier displayed his original plans for the museum and explained that the museum had been closed since late 2020 to refurbish it so that it was returned to being closer to Le Corbusier's design. I was also able to see his paintings for the first time! They were all so different from his signature architectural designs and offered another perspective on the architect.
There's a lot to see and afterwards, you can enjoy some snacks while sitting in the park in the sunshine!
I would really recommend you go to check out the now-open National Museum of Western Art if you get the chance!
Kind regards, Olivia
