Idemitsu Museum of Arts
Idemitsu Museum of Arts is an art museum located in the Marunouchi area of Chiyoda, Tokyo. The museum holds only temporary exhibitions featuring its own collection.
The museum is temporarily closed since 25 December 2024 due to the demolition and reconstruction of the Teigeki building, and the reopening date has not been announced.
History
The museum was established to house the art collection of Sazō Idemitsu, founder of the oil company, over a period of 70 years.The museum was founded in 1966 and is administered as an incorporated foundation of. In 2000, Idemitsu Museum of Arts, Moji, a branch of the museum, opened in Mojikō Retro Town, in Moji-ku, Kitakyūshū.
In 2019, the museum purchased 190 works, mostly paintings from the Edo period, from Americans Joe and Etsuko Price. They include Itō Jakuchū's, Maruyama Okyo's, and Sakai Hōitsu's, among others. The Price's are world-class collectors of Edo period paintings, and part of their collection has been deposited at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
The Teigeki Building, which houses the museum, is aging and will be rebuilt. The museum is scheduled to close once in 2025 and reopen after the construction is completed.
Collection
The collection includes Japanese paintings and East Asian ceramics, with modern works including paintings by Misai Kosugi (Hōan Kosugi) and ceramics by Itaya Hazan. The collection also includes Western paintings by Georges Rouault and Sam Francis.The museum holds approximately 15,000 cultural properties, of which the Japanese government has designated two as National Treasures and 57 as Important Cultural Properties. One of the National Treasures is the. The museum holds several temporary exhibitions each year.