Former Ohara Museum of Art Director Shuji Takashina Dies at 92, Leading Figure in Western Art Research: Sanyo Shimbun Digital | San-Digi
Shuji Takashina, a leading scholar of Western art history and former director of the Ohara Museum of Art, has passed away at 92.Summary
Shuji Takashina, a leading figure in the study of Japanese Western art history and the former director of the Ohara Museum of Art in Kurashiki for over 20 years starting in 2002, died of heart failure on October 17 at the age of 92. After graduating from the University of Tokyo, he specialized in modern Western art history while studying in France. He later served as a professor at the University of Tokyo starting in 1979, and held positions including director of the National Museum of Western Art and president of the Japan Art Academy. Takashina researched Western art from the Renaissance to the modern era, authoring bestsellers like "How to Look at Masterpieces" and contributing extensively to newspapers and magazines to convey the appeal of Western painting. He also made contributions to the study of modern Japanese art, including the re-evaluation of Meiji-era Western-style painter Yuichi Takahashi. He was a recipient of the Order of Culture and was named a Person of Cultural Merit. He retired as Ohara Museum director in 2023 and became the first director of the newly established Ohara Institute for Art Research in April 2024.
(Source：山陽新聞)