THE FURUKAWA ART MUSEUM

About the Furukawa Art Museum

The Furukawa Art Museum's core collection was generously donated by Furukawa Tamesaburo (1890-1993), a prominent businessman in Nagoya who was recognized by an American economic magazine as the world's oldest billionaire. The museum opened its doors in 1991. Furukawa Tamesaburo had a particular fondness for Japanese paintings of Mount Fuji, cherry blossoms, and bijin-ga (portraits of beautiful women) created by representative Japanese artists of his time, such as Yokoyama Taikan, Takeuchi Seiho, and Uemura Shoen. The collection mainly focuses on Japanese paintings created from the 1930s to the 1970s.
As a philanthropist, Furukawa actively supported various local social and charitable initiatives, including the construction of university libraries. He also collected artworks from local artists and enjoyed a wide range of items, including tea utensils, as part of his lifestyle. His collection now comprises over 2,800 items.
Among them, the complete copy of A Book of Hours by Boucicaut Atelier, a decorated manuscript from medieval Europe, has been exhibited at international expositions and continues to attract the attention of people around the world.
As a local center of culture and art, we hope to continue to bring joy to all visitors to the museum.