Building bonds through art

Events Jul. 09, 2012 - 05:55AM JST ( 0 )

TOKYO —

The Corporate Cultural Exchange Committee and Hotel Okura Tokyo present the 18th Art Collection Charity Event “Building bonds through art” from Aug 3 to Aug 26. Forty-five graduates and teachers of the Tokyo School of Fine Arts (currently Tokyo University of the Arts) were selected to have their works displayed at the exhibition. Their early and later works will be showcased so that hotel guests can see each artist’s progression throughout his career.

Hotel Okura Tokyo and the Tokyo University of the Arts have been working together to encourage many artists and promote art for decades. The relationship has grown so strong that Hotel Okura opened the Okura Café & Restaurant at the renovated University Art Museum. This exhibition has been in the works for many years, as part of Hotel Okura Tokyo’s 50th anniversary celebration this year.

― The Art Collection Charity Event ―

The founder of Hotel Okura Tokyo, Baron Kishichiro Okura, once said, “The hotel is a place where people gather, and ideas of art and culture are exchanged.” He embraced this philosophy strongly for his own hotel. Perhaps Baron Okura’s high regard for the arts was inherited from his father, Kihachiro, who maintained a huge collection of artwork in the interest of preserving them in the country’s cultural record, and opened the Okura Museum of Art, Japan’s first privately owned museum of art, in 1917. The Art Collection Charity Event was begun in 1994, as an embodiment of the hotel’s tradition as a protector of the arts.

In collaboration with the Corporate Cultural Exchange Committee, Hotel Okura Tokyo receives support from a number of organizations, individuals and enterprises to bring to life one of the greatest charity art exhibitions in Japan. Over the years, the Okura Art Collection Charity Event has attracted over 440,000 visitors and 160 million yen in contributions. As with last year, all donations will benefit areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake through the Japanese Red Cross Society, NHK Public Welfare Organization, etc.

From Tokyo School of Fine Arts to the Tokyo University of the Arts

The Tokyo School of Fine Arts was established in 1887 as a national art institute. In postwar Japan, the school merged with the Tokyo School of Music to become the Tokyo University of the Arts in 1949. Throughout its 120 year history, the school has produced many extremely talented artists, some of whom gained international acclaim.

This year marks the 60th anniversary of the graduation of the last students from the Tokyo School of Fine Arts, including Ikuo Hirayama. This exhibit will feature a collection of works from 45 graduates and staff spanning the history of the schools, and display various works dating from the beginning of an artist’s career to their prime. The exhibition will demonstrate the impact that both the Tokyo School of Fine Arts and the Tokyo University of the Arts made on Japanese art.

Dates: August 3 (Fri) – August 26, 2012 (Sun)
Hours: 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. (Doors close at 5:30 p.m.)
*12:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. August 3
Location: Hotel Okura Tokyo, Ascot Hall (South Wing B2)
Curator: Masato Satsuma, Professor at Tokyo University of the Arts, Yoichiro Ide, Fuchu Art Museum
Admission: General: 1,200 yen (1,000 yen in advance)
  College/ High School Students: 1,000 yen (900 yen in advance)
  Children (Jr High School and Younger): Free
  Lunch Set Ticket: 4,000 yen or 6,000 yen

*Ticket pre-ordering is available at the front desks through August 2 (Thu). Other pre-order options are available. Please call 03-3224 – 6731 for details.