Hokuriku, Toyama. As moved through the exhibition rooms, encountered a spectacular sight of chairs, and sat down on the chair designed by Gaudí.
Hokuriku. An art museum within walking distance from Toyama Station. Opened in 2017. Former Toyama Prefectural Museum of Modern Art. The building is new as it recently opened. 3 stories. When I visited, there were special and collection exhibition on the second floor, design collection and Shuzo Takiguchi collection exhibition on the third floor.
I was captivated by the artworks in the museum’s collection on the second floor. Picasso, Dali, Chagall, Magritte. Warhol. If you know well in this area, you will probably get a bit of an “aha” feeling. Perhaps one of the museum’s good tastes is that there are artworks by David Hockney, Gerhard Richter, and Shinro Otake. In particular, Gerhard Richter’s artwork “Orangerie” caught my attention as it had bright colors and was something I had never seen before.
So far, it is ordinary museum. I understood the high quality of the collection, but the space was just two exhibition rooms. I did not feel like there was anything particularly noteworthy. So why I want to describe an article here? It was on the third floor.
This was a design collection in Exhibition Room 5. There were various chairs on the wall, and it was a spectacular sight to see 38 chairs in three tiers up to the ceiling. In front of the exhibits lining the walls, there are three chairs for visitors to sit on, including a chair designed by Gaudi, who designed the Sagrada Familia church in Barcelona, Spain.
As soon as I sat down, a staff member came over and said, “This is a chair designed by Gaudi.” It is valuable to sit in a chair designed by Gaudi.
I once heard that “chairs are difficult to design.” I often see chairs on display, but this museum’s display method was excellent, including the scale of 38 chairs.
In addition, in Exhibition Room 6 on the 3rd floor, items that belonged to the collection of “Shuzo Takiguchi”, an art critic from Toyama Prefecture, are neatly displayed in glass. I have a good impression on this.
This museum has a rooftop. There are law play area with equipment, but don’t miss the view of the Tateyama Mountains from the rooftop. It was cloudy when I visited, but I could still feel that it was an extraordinary sight.
Lastly, I would like to introduce the Toyama Glass Art Museum near the Toyama Prefectural Museum of Art and Design. This art museum, about 10 minutes by car from the Toyama Prefectural Museum of Art, opened in 2015. Architect “Kengo Kuma” was involved in the design of the building that houses the Toyama City Library.
What is spectacular is the atrium space from the 2nd floor to the 6th floor. An escalator is in the space where sunlight enters through the ceiling, allowing a view from the second floor to the sixth floor. Glass craft exhibits locate on each floor from the 2nd to the 6th floor, and the exhibits were interesting even for those who are not familiar with glass crafts. In particular, don’t miss “Dale Chihuly’s Glass Art Garden” on the 6th floor.
When visiting the Toyama Prefectural Museum of Art, don’t forget to visit the Toyama Glass Art Museum.
Visisted in 2023.
Basic Information
■ Name : Toyama Prefectural Museum of Art and Design
■ Address : 3-20 Kibamachi, Toyama
■ Homepage : https://tad-toyama.jp/en/
