Why Does a Ukiyo-e Collection That Surpasses Japan Exist in the UK? Japanese Art Masterpieces Return from the British Museum: Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum Opens '100th Anniversary of Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum British Museum Japanese Art Collection - Hundred Flowers Blooming, Edo Paintings Crossing the Sea'
Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum opens an exhibition of the British Museum's Japanese art collection, exploring why the UK holds a superior ukiyo-e collection.Summary
The Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum has launched the exhibition '100th Anniversary of Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum British Museum Japanese Art Collection - Hundred Flowers Blooming, Edo Paintings Crossing the Sea,' featuring approximately 40,000 Japanese artworks from the British Museum, including ukiyo-e, screens, scrolls, and paintings. The British Museum, founded in 1753 in London, houses around 8 million items, with its Japanese collection being one of the most extensive outside Japan. Notably, the museum's ukiyo-e collection is exceptionally well-preserved, with vibrant colors and rare original paintings by renowned artists. The article explores the historical factors behind the British Museum's superior collection, including the 120-year head start over Japan's first national museum, the Tokyo National Museum (established in 1872), and the role of Western collectors like Ernest Satow and William Anderson during the Meiji era, who recognized the artistic value of ukiyo-e and donated their collections to the British Museum.
(Source：JBpress)