From June 12th (Wednesday) to July 28th (Sunday), 2024
Tokyo, Japan – March 25, 2024: Tokyo National Museum and Cartier will hold an exhibition entitled “Cartier and Japan: Half a Century” at the Tokyo National Museum Hyokeikan from June 12th (Wednesday) to July 28th (Sunday), 2024. We will be holding the “Yui MUSUBI'' Exhibition – Dialogue on Beauty and Art''.
To commemorate 50 years since Cartier opened its first boutique in Japan, this exhibition introduces the various stories that connect the Maison and Japan.The exhibition is set in the symmetrical Hyokeikan building and depicts Cartier, Japan, and Cartier. We unravel the bond between the Contemporary Art Foundation and Japanese artists.
The “Cartier and Japan Half-Century History “MUSUBI'' Exhibition – Dialogue on Beauty and Art'' will be held at the famous Hyokeikan in the Tokyo National Museum, and will be held at the “Cartier Collection'', which is comprised of precious Cartier archive pieces. Through an exhibition of approximately 200 items, including private collections and archival documents, the exhibition highlights the dialogue between Cartier and Japanese culture. The “Yui'' in the exhibition name represents the long-standing bond between Cartier and Japan. Inspired by the knot motif often seen in the Maison's historical works, it recalls the Japanese objects collected by art lover Louis Cartier in the early 20th century. The Maison's first boutique in Japan opened in 1974 at the Palais France in Harajuku, Tokyo, but its dialogue with Japanese culture began even earlier, dating back to the late 19th century. In the first part of the exhibition, we look back at how Japan has influenced Cartier's work from the time of Louis Cartier to the present day, and look back at Cartier exhibitions held in Japan since 1988. Introducing the history of the Maison along with precious archive pieces from the Cartier Collection.
This exhibition pays homage to the half century of history that Cartier and Japan have shared. The Maison's savoir-faire and cherished values, as well as its constant dialogue with Japanese creativity, are reflected in the collaboration of artists such as Chitose Abe/sacai, Leandro Erlich, Rinko Kawauchi, Keiichi Tahara, Katsuhiko Hibino, Takashi Homma, and Kyoko Murase. Expressed through the work of architects, designers and contemporary artists.
Knot brooch, 1907
platinum, gold,
diamond, ruby
Marian Gérard, Cartier Collection
© Cartier
Cartier's relationship with Japan is also strongly tied to the Cartier Foundation for Contemporary Art and Japanese artists exhibited in the left wing of Hyokeikan. As a pioneer, the Cartier Foundation for Contemporary Art has been one of the first to introduce many Japanese artists to the European public. In this part, we will explore how the Fondation Cartier has brought together creations from various fields under its kaleidoscopic vision, from holding exhibitions to publishing publications, commissioning productions for the Fondation Cartier, and creating collections. You can get a glimpse of his unique method. Through these countless exchanges, Fondation Cartier has maintained a constant dialogue with Japanese artists and built a true community. This creative dialogue will unfold through the works of 15 artists representing Japan's art scene. These include paintings by Sho Shibuya, Erina Matsui, Takashi Murakami, and Tadanori Yokoo, sculptures by Hiroshi Sugimoto, photographs by Nobuyoshi Araki, Rinko Kawauchi, and Daido Moriyama, installations by Tabaimo and Tatsuo Miyajima, as well as Takeshi Kitano, Yukio Nakagawa, and others. This includes works by great masters such as Issey Miyake.
Bringing together for the first time in a single exhibition, the parallel histories of Maison Cartier and Fondation Cartier contemporary art are brought together in an installation by Sho Shibuya that will be displayed at the heart of the building. Sho Shibuya, who was commissioned by Cartier to create a series of paintings to commemorate Cartier Japan's 50th anniversary, traveled throughout Japan for 36 days and created a series of 50 paintings. It was also his dream to pay homage to Hiroshige Utagawa and “Tokaido Fifty-three Stations'' (1832). Following in the footsteps of the Ukiyo-e masters, he began his journey in Nihonbashi, visiting all 47 prefectures and painting the sky on the front page of local daily newspapers every day. Similar to this exhibition, which aims to fuse the past, present, and future of Cartier and Japan's connections, "the Fifty Sky Views of Japan" by Sho Shibuya explores the continuity of these connections. It symbolizes Cartier's history of constant evolution and renewal.
The Portraits of Japanese artists Tadanori Yokoo
Collection of the Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain, Paris
© Tadanori Yokoo © André Morin
The spatial structure of this exhibition, designed by Studio Adrien Gardère, enhances and celebrates the traditional architecture of Hyokeikan, while at the same time paying homage to Cartier's Japan and its aesthetic sense. Traditional materials have been revisited, and niches and tables inspired by tokonoma and sukiya architecture complement each exhibit. Japanese industrial scaffolding systems will also be used to stage the artists on display, reflecting Fondation Cartier's bold and vibrant relationship with Japan.
Exhibition overview
Exhibition name: Cartier and Japan: Half a Century of History “MUSUBI” Exhibition – Dialogue over Beauty and Art
Date: June 12th (Wednesday) – July 28th (Sunday), 2024
Closed: Every Monday, July 16th (Tuesday) *Open on July 15th (Monday, public holiday)
Opening hours: 9:30 – 17:00, until 19:00 on Fridays and Saturdays (Last admission 30 minutes before closing)
Venue: Tokyo National Museum Hyokeikan 13-9 Ueno Park, Taito-ku, Tokyo 110-8712
Sponsored by: Tokyo National Museum, Cartier
Special cooperation: Cartier Foundation for Contemporary Art
Sponsored by: Embassy of France in Japan, Institut Français Japan
Venue design & composition: Studio Adrien Gardere
Admission fee: Details will be announced on the Tokyo National Museum website in the future.
Contact: Cartier Customer Service Center 0120-1847-00
About the Cartier Collection
In the 1970s, Cartier began collecting pieces created by the Maison in the past. Jewelry, timepieces and other precious accessories were collected for preservation and officially created as the Cartier Collection in 1983.
The Cartier Collection currently consists of pieces from the 1850s to the 2000s. These pieces serve not only as a tangible record of the style and creativity carved into Cartier's more than 170-year history, but also as a document tracing the broader history of the evolution of jewelery art and society from the end of the 19th century. Masu.
The Cartier Collection, which currently has approximately 3,500 works in its collection and continues to grow, has attracted the attention of museums around the world. Since its first major exhibition at the Petit Palais in Paris in 1989, works from the Cartier Collection have been exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York (1997) and the British Museum in London (1998). ), the Palace Museum in the Forbidden City, Beijing (2009 and 2019), the Grand Palais Museum, Paris (2013-2014), the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra (2018), the National Art Center, Tokyo (2019), Paris It has been exhibited at some of the world's leading cultural institutions, including the Museum of Decorative Arts (2021-2022), the Dallas Museum of Art (2022), and in 2023 the Jumex Museum in Mexico, the Hong Kong Palace Museum, and the Louvre Abu Dhabi.
To date, 40 exhibitions have been held in approximately 30 cities, with a total of over 5 million visitors.
The Cartier Collection will be on display at the Cartier, Crystallization of Time exhibition, which will be held at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul from May 1 to June 30, 2024.
About the Cartier Foundation for Contemporary Art
The Cartier Foundation for Contemporary Art is a private cultural institution whose mission is to spread contemporary art in all fields around the world through programs such as temporary exhibitions, live performances, and lectures. Founded by Cartier in 1984, the Foundation hosts its exhibitions in a building designed by architect Jean Nouvel in Paris.
The Cartier Foundation for Contemporary Art plans unique art programs with a wide range of themes, from visual and performing arts to architecture and design, fashion, philosophy, and science. For nearly 40 years, the Foundation has contributed to the discovery of top contemporary artists and used its museum spaces as a platform where artists and scientists can meet and develop projects that address the major issues of the modern world. Ta. The Foundation's collection consists of nearly 4,000 works resulting from a rich, interdisciplinary program. It is a testament to the connections we have built with over 500 artists around the world.
The Cartier Foundation for Contemporary Art travels around the world, working with major museums to reach new audiences and offer opportunities to discover the work of contemporary artists and gain access to their perspectives.
About Tokyo National Museum
Tokyo National Museum is the museum with the longest history in Japan, dating back to 1872 when an exhibition was held at the Taiseiden of Yushima Cathedral.
We collect, preserve, repair, manage, exhibit, conduct research, and conduct educational and dissemination projects regarding various cultural properties such as Japanese and Oriental art and archeology.
The Tokyo National Museum has over 120,000 items in its collection, making it the largest collection in Japan in terms of both quality and quantity. The general cultural exhibition always displays approximately 3,000 items.
