Suntory Museum Of Art

Unclaimed

Museum is on 3F in shopping mall. It was hard for me to find it but at last I did find it. There is lot of boxes and ceramics and clothes and paintings. It’s pretty dark but I like it. Good atmosphere but not so many places to sit. Enjoy your visit.

Located in the building of Tokyo Mid Town, the museum has about 2 floors of exhibition. Mostly, they are those prestigious artifects involving people's everyday's life, including trunk, ceramics, glass and room separator, aligning with the fundamental concept of "Art in Life." I like the Western Kings on Horseback as this masterpiece is an early example of western-style painting in Japan. The painting refers to an image on the margin of a world map published in Amsterdam, magnified, colored, and finished in this large format. The kings are said to be, from the right, the King of Persia, the King of Ethiopia, and Henry IV of France. The identify of the figure on the far left is disputed, with the king of England. This piece also represents how Japan connected to the outside world and how miraculous it survive through the Tokyo bomb in WW II.

Suntory Museum is an amazing experience. It makes you forget you are in a shopping mall. Its architecture makes you feel comfortable and relaxed, slows you down. Staff is elegant and crowded, leading and helping you in entrance and every floor. It was “silent hour” between 10-11am when I visited the museum and I loved it. No photos or no talking allowed. Just admiring and respecting art in silence. I also love observing how Japanese visitors don’t rush themselves or eachother, letting others take their time with art objects and keep silent even it is not a “silent hour.” I learned a lot from Japanese contemporary museums.

Exhibition on a small collection of Emile Galle, mostly glassware in the 1880s. Quite interesting. Weekend lunch time was crowded.