Bridgestone Museum of Art

The Bridgestone Museum of Art is one of the most famous art museums of Tokyo in Japan. The museum houses a wide collection of modern European Art belonging to the impressionist era and Japanese Western Style Art belonging to the Meiji and tall-a-wing era.

The Bridgestone Museum of Art was founded by Ishibashi Shojiro, the founder of Bridgestone Corporation. The museum was opened to the public on January 8th, 1952. The museum houses the private art collections of its founder Ishibashi Shojiro and is managed by the Ishibashi Foundation. The museum has undergone extensive renovations and expansions over the years so as to increase the display area. In 1959, the floor area was increased to 2645 square meters. In 1999 it was further increased to 2924 square meters.

The museum is dedicated towards promoting art and culture amongst the people of the country and foster an understanding between people of different cultures. The museum is a two-storied elegant building. The first floor houses the Bridgestone Museum Hall, where a large number of events and functions are held, information center, toilets, telephone counters, lockers and other facilities. The paintings, sculptures and other art works are all displayed in the second floor. There are a total of 130 permanent exhibits, which include the works of some of the famous painters of the world like Renoir, Cézanne and Picasso. The second floor is divided into 4 major sections, which are as follows:

  -   Japanese Western Style Paintings during the Meiji, Taisho and Showa Era.
  -   Impressionism and Post-impressionism paintings
  -   European Sculpture Gallery 1& 2
  -   Ancient Art

Besides these, there are separate rooms, which houses the paintings of Picasso and other artists belonging to the 20th century and artworks dating back to the 1900's. The Ancient Arts section houses a wide collection of Egyptian Art. Visitors can also check out the metal artifacts from Rome or ancient pottery pieces from Greece over here. The Japanese Western Style Paintings section houses the works of the painters Takaji Fujishima and Shigeru Aoki and others. Some of the most notable paintings that are worth checking out include The Tempyo Era, Black Fan, Women Sewing and others. You can also take a look at the painting titled 'The Beach near Trouville' in the impressionist section or the fantastic sculptures like 'The Gondolier' in the European sculpture section. The museum also has a tea room called 'Georgette', where the visitors can go for tea and refreshments. You can also buy paintings, sculptures and other artworks also from the museum shop.

The museum hosts a large number of events like exhibitions and functions in its numerous halls. Besides these, you can attend the Saturday lectures or take part in the Gallery talks. The museum also hosts a large number of family programs like quizzes, games and others.

The museum is open on all days except on Mondays. The visiting hours on weekdays are from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00p.m, while on Sundays and holidays it is from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Entry in the museum is not free, except for children below 15 years. Getting to this museum is easy. You can take a train to the Tokyo Station and walk from there. One can also take the Ginza subway Line and come to the Kyobashi station.

The Bridgestone Museum of Art, with its huge collection of paintings, sculptures and artifacts is a good place to spend time and treat your eyes to some of the bets sculptures and paintings of the world.

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