Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum

• Name — Tokyo Metropolitan Museum • Established — 1926 • Location — Tokyo, Japan • Type — Art museum • Collection Size — 49 objects • Public Transit — * Ueno Station (with JR East and Tokyo Metro) • Uguisudani Station (with JR East) • Keisei Ueno Station (with Keisei Electric Railway) • Website — https: www.tobikan.jp/en/index.html • Architect — Kunio Maekawa

In March 1921 Keitaro Sato, a coal magnate from Kyushu, donated one million yen to the prefectural government for a "permanent art museum" and on May 1, 1926, the Tokyo Prefectural Art Museum opened. Upon its opening, the new institution was quickly lambasted by several art critics, including Shizuka Shikazaki who said it was a "complete failure" because it was planned as a permanent art museum and had no permanent collection; it was mainly used as a leased exhibition space to local art collectives. Two years later critic Seisui Sakai also wrote a critical review, stating that the museum would not truly be complete until it had established a permanent collection. A new museum building was built in 1975. The original site was then demolished.

The building, designed in 1975 by modernist architect Kunio Maekawa, was built with the surrounding green space of Ueno park in mind and has been praised by critics and visitors alike for an aesthetic that is avant-garde and harmonious with the park surrounding it.