National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo facts for kids
| Tōkyō Kokuritsu Kindai Bijutsukan | |
Main Hall
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| Established | 1952 |
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| Location | 3-1 Kitanomaru Koen, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan |
| Type | Art museum |
The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo (東京国立近代美術館, Tōkyō Kokuritsu Kindai Bijutsukan), often called MOMAT, is Japan's most important museum for modern Japanese art. It is located in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. The museum is famous for its collection of art from the 20th century. This includes both Western-style art and traditional Japanese painting called Nihonga. MOMAT also has a special branch in Kanazawa called the National Crafts Museum.
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A Look Back: How MOMAT Started
MOMAT was Japan's very first national art museum. It opened in 1952. At first, it was managed by the Ministry of Education. The original building was designed by a famous architect named Kunio Maekawa.
Over the years, the museum grew bigger. It bought nearby land and expanded its space. The most recent design for MOMAT was created by Yoshirō Taniguchi. He was the father of Yoshio Taniguchi, who designed an extension for the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in New York.
What You Can See: MOMAT's Art Collections
The museum's collection features many important Japanese artists. These artists created their works since the Meiji period (which started in 1868). You can also find some modern Western prints here.
The Matsukata Collection: Ukiyo-e Prints
In the early 1900s, a man named Matsukata Kojiro collected many Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock prints. These prints had been spread out all over the world. In 1925, there was an exhibition of the ukiyo-e prints Matsukata collected from other countries. This was thought to be the first show of its kind in Japan. Today, MOMAT is home to about 8,000 ukiyo-e prints from the Matsukata collection.
The Crafts Gallery: Art You Can Touch
In 1977, MOMAT opened a special part called the Kōgeikan Crafts Gallery. This gallery collects and shows different kinds of Japanese crafts. These include textiles (like fabrics), ceramics (like pottery), and lacquer (a type of shiny finish). It also has crafts and designs from around the world. These items date from the late 1800s to today.
The Crafts Gallery especially focuses on the work of Japanese artists known as Living National Treasures. These are people who are masters of traditional Japanese arts and crafts. The gallery also has its own library for research.
In 2020, the Crafts Gallery moved to Kanazawa. This move was part of a plan by the Japanese government to help local areas grow. When it moved, it became the National Crafts Museum. Its official name is still the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo Craft Gallery.
The National Film Archive: Movies as Art
Until April 2018, the National Museum of Modern Art also had the National Film Center (NFC). This was Japan's only public place dedicated to movies. In April 2018, the NFC became its own separate national museum. It is now called the National Film Archive of Japan.
Finding Art: The Union Catalog
There is a special "Union Catalog of the Collections of the National Art Museums, Japan." This is a combined list of all the art held by MOMAT and three other national art museums in Japan. These other museums are the National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto (MOMAK), the National Museum of Art, Osaka (NMAO), and the National Museum of Western Art (NMWA). You can find an online version of this catalog, but it is still being built. Only some of the artworks are available to see online right now.
See also
In Spanish: Museo Nacional de Arte Moderno de Tokio para niños
- List of Independent Administrative Institutes in Japan
- Visage Painting and the Human Face in 20th Century Art
