Message from the President

In 1956, the Ishibashi Foundation was established by founder Ishibashi Shojiro, with the goal of making a lasting contribution to art and culture. Since then, inheriting the founding ideal of staying ahead of the times, we have operated with two essential pillars in mind: Art museum programs mainly at the Artizon Museum in Kyobashi, Tokyo; and grant programs supporting artistic, cultural, and educational activities.

The Artizon Museum opened in January 2020 after about ten years of planning and became a big step in developing the DNA of the Bridgestone Museum of Art, its predecessor. We have not only renovated the facility, but also installed the latest IT system, etc. to bring a comfortable viewing environment that conveys the concept of the museum, “Experiencing creativity” and to show off the Ishibashi Foundation Collection to the public.

In addition, as an activity working towards the goal of becoming a comprehensive art museum, we have been working to convey art’s depth, transcending the times and crossing borders in an easily understandable way by diversifying our exhibitions, enhancing the spread of education, and expanding our collection of artwork. With regard to the conservation, restoration, and research of artwork, we have independently established the Ishibashi Foundation Art Research Center (ARC) to actively work on bridging cultural assets into the future.

For grant programs, in particular, we have been supporting efforts to, “Spread Japanese culture overseas” recently based on the concept “Aiming to develop a more caring and humane world through supporting artistic, cultural, and educational initiatives”. Support for research activities, training of professionals, and promotion of international exchange, etc. are at the heart of our projects, and the international programs ratio exceeds 50%. Moreover, we are also paying attention to areas where support is hard to reach and we are providing disaster recovery support and humanitarian assistance where necessary.

Taking the words of our founder, “For the welfare and happiness of all mankind” as our principle, we will work to contribute to art and culture as a public-service corporation and are planning to make further efforts to proceed not only with our activities in Japan but also in international exchanges.