My First Exhibition experience in Japan

Since I am a resident in Tokyo, I try to go to the touristic spots of Tokyo, as an art lover I decided that it is time that I check special events and exhibitions and not just touristic spots in Tokyo.

As you know, my favorite is Tokyo National Museum in Ueno Park. I often tell my friends and family that if you are going to a one and only museum in Japan, It must be The National Museum which sums Japans beauty history esthetics and everything….

I came across this on a train;

Van Gogh and Gaugin, Reality and Imagination Special Exhibition.

It is the perfect timing for me to notice this and check on special events and exhibitions.

And off we go to the exhibition in Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, which is in the same park of my favorite museum. To be honest, Ueno Park has an amazing  nature and arts and culture, since there are many museums in the perimeter. 

I have taken a personal note to hang out in Ueno Park.

Theeeen, I came across a festival in Ueno Park, it was a Sunday. Apparently Ueno Park hosts national, international Festivals almost all the time. Cooll…

Last time I was there, it was Thai festival, now it was Ninja Festival.

The common point of the festival was food stands both Japanese and international and also barbeque style food or small stands where you can buy unique Japanese items besides food.

I had lunch and some snacks and then dinner at the festival, it was delicious and there was full of variety.

Even though I was tempted with the food of the festival, I went to the Exhibition.

 

It was a 3-floor-exhibition, and at the door you can take an audio explanation device in Japanese, with some voice play as Van Gogh and as Gaugin. My Japanese is just enough to survive Japan. And as for the audio, I bought it, I couldn’t understand fully, but I enjoyed what I understood and also tested my Japanese… 

The exhibition was very crowded. There were some explanations Japanese and English. The design of the exhibition was quite easy to figure out and also included some other artists to the period to give a better understanding to the art lovers.

As for me, every opportunity to see a Monet painting is a win.

In summary, Van Gogh was painter who paint only what he saw or was seeing. And he did a marvelous job. Gaugin was a painter who fed from the real items but his paintings included his own imagination and ideas as well. This is why the name of the exhibition is reality and imagination.

There was a period that they lived together and interacted artistically, so that you can see Van Gogh’s painting of Gaugin’s chair, or Gaugin’s painting of Van Gogh while he is painting the famous sunflowers.

As for me, I didn’t know that Van Gogh had such a friend, considering his being a difficult person.

But Gaugin was a good friend, and he even continued to talk about him in his letter and journal after Van Gogh’s death.

It was a nice experience to find out two talented people interact with painting.

And in the end of this exhibition, this two artists interacted and communicated with me and many other art lovers.

It was my first special exhibition visit in Japan. And it was fabulous.

I am looking forward to visiting more special events and exhibitions.

Cheers, special,

Ece