Kokuritsu Seiyō Bijutsukan (National Museum Of Western Art)

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  • Address
    7-7 Ueno-kōen, Taitō-ku
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  • Phone
    3828 5131
  • Website
  • Transport
    train: JR Yamanote line to Ueno (Park exit)
underground rail: JR Yamanote Line or Tokyo Metro Ginza or Hibiya Line to Ueno (Ueno Kōen exit)

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Lonely Planet review

Designed by Le Corbusier in the late 1950s, this museum has its roots in French impressionism, but runs the gamut from medieval Madonna & Child images to 20th-century splatter painting. All the big names are here, particularly Manet, Rodin, Miró and the Dutch Masters. It also hosts wildly popular temporary exhibits on loan from such stalwarts as the Prado Museum in Madrid.

Much of the original collection was amassed by Matsukata Kōjiro (1865-1950), president of a shipbuilding company and later a politician. He would travel frequently to Europe on business and bring back treasures to inspire young, up-and-coming Japanese painters. Some 400 of his works were impounded in France during WWII, and it was only after Matsukata's death that they were allowed to be shipped to Japan.