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International ExchangeThe Ishibashi Foundation Collection Exhibition in Paris
The Ishibashi Foundation Collection (formerly the Ishibashi Collection) has been exhibited abroad, twice in Paris: French Paintings from Corot to Braque in the Ishibashi Collection of Tokyo at the National Museum of Modern Art, Paris in 1962, and Tokyo–Paris Masterpieces from the Bridgestone Museum of Art in Tokyo–Ishibashi Foundation Collection Exhibition at the Musée de l’Orangerie in 2017. Both exhibitions were highly acclaimed in the local community.
1962: French Paintings from Corot to Braque in the Ishibashi Collection of Tokyo at the National Museum of Modern Art, Paris
In October 1961, Mr. Bernard Dorival, the assistant director of the National Museum of Modern Art, Paris, visited the Bridgestone Museum of Art (currently the Artizon Museum). Mr. Dorival asked Ishibashi Shojiro, the founder and director of the Ishibashi Foundation at the time, to hold an exhibition of the collection in Paris. Shojiro had the opportunity to exhibit his collection overseas for the first time, which he later recalled was an "honor beyond words."
The exhibition, entitled, French Paintings from Corot to Braque in the Ishibashi Collection of Tokyo (the National Museum of Modern Art, Paris, May 4–June 24) exhibited 50 modern French paintings by Corot, Monet, Cézanne, and other painters (eight of them are deposited works from the Matsukata Collection, etc.) in Paris. It was therefore also called a "Return Exhibition to Paris."
At the exhibition's venue at the National Museum of Modern Art, Paris, temporary walls modeled after a two-panel folding screen were installed in the exhibition room, where the artworks were displayed. About 500 people attended the private viewing held for Friends of the Museum on the evening of May 3, and about 1,000 people attended the opening ceremony on the next day, May 4.
The exhibition made it into French local newspapers including Le Figaro, Le Monde, Arts, with commentary on the main artworks, as well as commentary on how a high-quality collection of French art was established in the Far East and how it was accomplished by just one businessman.
During the exhibition, 23 works were restored and cleaned by the art restorer Jacques Maréchal. At the time, it was rare to clean and restore paintings in Japan, but with the recommendation of the French Minister of Cultural Affairs, André Malraux, it was decided that they would be cleaned and restored in Japan. Mr. Maréchal came to Japan in 1963 through a joint invitation by the Bridgestone Museum of Art and the National Museum of Western Art to restore and clean the works. It was an exhibition that had an influence on the Japanese art world in terms of art restoration.
2017: Tokyo–Paris Masterpieces from the Bridgestone Museum of Art in Tokyo—Ishibashi Foundation Collection Exhibition at the Musée de l’Orangerie
In 2017, the Musée d’Orsay, the Musée de l’Orangerie, and the Ishibashi Foundation co-hosted the exhibition Tokyo–Paris Masterpieces from the Bridgestone Museum of Art in Tokyo—Ishibashi Foundation Collection Exhibition (April 5–August 21) at the Musée de l’Orangerie in Paris. 76 representative artworks from the Ishibashi Foundation Collection were exhibited there.
The Musée d’Orsay, the Musée de l’Orangerie, and the Bridgestone Museum of Art have been collaborating since 2012 when they co-hosted the exhibition Debussy, Music and the Arts. The exhibition, Tokyo–Paris Masterpieces from the Bridgestone Museum of Art in Tokyo—Ishibashi Foundation Collection Exhibition was proposed by the Musée de l’Orangerie. This was made possible at the time of closing for a long period of time for the reconstruction of the Bridgestone Museum of Art.
The exhibition begins with Ishibashi Shojiro's passion for art. The artworks of the Ishibashi Foundation Collection were introduced in line with the trends of the time, including modern Japanese Western-style paintings, works of Impressionism, works of post-Impressionism, modern art mainly from the first half of the 20th century, and abstract art and representational art from after World War II. It was an opportunity to learn not only about European and American works, but also to learn about works by modern Japanese Western-style painters such as Aoki Shigeru, Sakamoto Hanjiro, Koga Harue, and Fujishima Takeji. It is said that the word “Yoga (the Japanese word for a Western-style painting)” came to be widely used since the exhibition.
The number of visitors reached 420,000 during the 118-day exhibition period, and was a great success. The French media, including newspapers Le Figaro and Le Parisien, culture magazines Télérama and L'Express, and news websites Le Parisien Etudiant, and Atlantico all covered the exhibition. The Japanese media, including Nihon Keizai Shimbun, Asahi Shimbun, and The Shin Bijutsu Shimbun, magazines BRUTUS, Geijutsu Shincho, and MOMENTUM, and websites Maison des Musées du Monde and casabrutus.com provided detailed information about the exhibition site.
It was a valuable opportunity to present the exhibition in France, and an opportunity to present the expansion of the Ishibashi Foundation Collection, the existence of modern Japanese Western-style paintings, and diverse artists who strived to create art that could transcend national borders.
