Museum dedicated to Chinese artist opens in Tokyo

Designed by globally acclaimed architect Kengo Kuma, a private art museum named after Chinese artist Wang Chuanfeng opened Wednesday in Ginza district in downtown Tokyo.

The Wang Chuanfeng Museum aims to promote Chinese art and contributes to the cultural exchange between China and the world.

Situated in Ginza, the five-story building has an exterior wall covered by aluminum alloy bars to display the sensitiveness of Wang’s artwork and blend the museum with the surrounding context of Ginza, according to Kengo Kuma, Wang’s long-time friend.

Data shows that one square meter of land in the district’s center is worth over 10 million yen ($92,020), making it one of the most expensive real estate in Japan.

Wang is a Chinese artist born in East China’s Shandong province. He lived in Japan for almost 30 years. Fish, the focus of his artwork, has won him world popularity, and a series of his work on fishes has been chosen to be the commemorative stamp of the 30th anniversary of Treaty of Peace and Friendship between China and Japan in 2008. In 2011, he was named as the “Envoy of friendship between Japan and China” by the Chinese government.

The inaugural exhibition displays over 20 pieces of Wang’s artwork dating back to 1990s. Wang said in the future he will rotate the theme every two or three months to attract more outstanding artists worldwide and to connect China to the bigger world.

“Wang Chuanfeng is a kind of bridge between Japan and China, and the museum will activate the cultural exchange because this year many foreigners will come to Ginza, and if they find time to visit this museum, they will find the common philosophy between Japan and China,” said Kuma.