Private company

National Museum of Western Art

Art museum in Tokyo, Japan

The National Museum of Western Art (国立西洋美術館, Kokuritsu Seiyō Bijutsukan; lit. "National Western Art Museum", NMWA) is the premier public art gallery in Japan specializing in art from the Western tradition. The museum is in the Ueno Park in Taitō, central Tokyo.2 It was founded by Kōjirō Matsukata.1 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 20, 2026.

Overview

Apr 1, 1959Founded1

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The Burghers of Calais in Japan
Photo: Takuro1202, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons4

The National Museum of Western Art (国立西洋美術館, Kokuritsu Seiyō Bijutsukan; lit. "National Western Art Museum", NMWA) is the premier public art gallery in Japan specializing in art from the Western tradition. The museum is in the Ueno Park in Taitō, central Tokyo. It received 1,162,345 visitors in 2016.2

The story

Founded by Kōjirō Matsukata on Apr 1, 1959.1

The NMWA was established on June 10, 1959. The museum developed around the core art collection of Kōjirō Matsukata (1865–1950), whose thinking is mirrored in the museum he anticipated.

Matsukata's acquisition strategies were designed to create the nucleus of what he hoped would become an evolving national museum specializing in Western art.

The museum exhibits works from the Renaissance to the early 20th century, many having been acquired since the museum's opening. The museum's purpose is to provide the public with opportunities to appreciate Western art.

Since its opening, the museum, as Japan's only national institution devoted to Western art, has been involved in exhibitions, art work and document acquisition, research, restoration and conservation, education and the publication of materials related to Western art.

From Wikipedia’s article on National Museum of Western Art, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3

Leadership

Who has led National Museum of Western Art, and when. Pick a name to see everywhere that person has worked.

Chair

  1. Akiko Mabuchi2013–now
197019801990200020102020

Products and brands

The "Union Catalog of the Collections of the National Art Museums, Japan" is a consolidated catalog of material held by the four Japanese national art museums:

The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto (MOMAK).

The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo (MOMAT)

The National Museum of Art, Osaka (NMAO)

Read the full text

The National Museum of Western Art (NMWA)

The online version of this union catalog is currently under construction, with only selected works available at this time.

From Wikipedia’s article on National Museum of Western Art, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3

Timeline

  1. Apr 1, 1959Founded Founded1

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

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