Masterworks from the Collections of the Prince of Liechtenstein
SPECIAL EXHIBITIONS IN JAPAN 2012/13
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3.10.2012 – 9.6.2013
Tokyo, Kochi, Kyoto
From October 2012 until June 2013, a total of 140 notable works of art from the collections of the Prince von und zu Liechtenstein will be on display in Japan under the title “Masterworks from the Collections of the Prince of Liechtenstein”: in Tokyo, Kochi and Kyoto, the focus will be on the concept of the Baroque ensemble. Central themes will include the idea of the Baroque salon and the “Kunstkammer,” the history of the Princely Family and the paintings of the Viennese Biedermeier period. Intensive restoration work has been carried out on a number of the works to be included in the exhibition, thus enabling them to be presented in the optimal way in Japan.
The visiting exhibition in Japan starting at the National Art Center in Tokyo (3 October 2012 – 23 December 2012), then continuing to the Museum of Art in Kochi (5 January 2013 – 7 March 2013) and finally to be shown at the Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art (19 March 2013 – 9 June 2013) will present an impressive selection from the Liechtenstein Collections in a compact display that is custom-tailored to the available gallery spaces.
For the first time in Japan, the focus will be on the concept of the ensemble and not simply on the serial presentation of individual works of art. “Right from the start, the character of the Princely Collections has been defined by a deliberate combination of paintings, sculptures and crafts, including furniture. This unique synergy, which culminated in a harmonized artistic style in the Baroque period, will be showcased outside Vienna for the first time, in the form of a major exhibition in Japan,” says Dr Johann Kräftner, Director of the Princely Collections, explaining the idea behind the show.
The exhibition features a Baroque salon, decorated to resemble its historical model with ceiling frescoes, pictures on the walls, tapestries, furniture and sculptures. Paintings designed to adorn the ceilings of the Baroque Liechtenstein CITY PALACE in Vienna are also on display as they were originally intended – on the ceiling of a large exhibition space.
Other focal themes will explore the Princely Family and its estates, as well as the topic of the “Kunstkammer“ (princely cabinets of art and curiosities) and paintings of the Viennese Biedermeier period, this last being shown to this extent for the first time in Japan. Additional highlights will include a “Gallery of Masterpieces” and a dedicated “Rubens Room” showcasing works by the great Flemish master increasingly appreciated in Japan.
All in all a body of 140 works of art will be traveling to Japan. Dr Johann Kräftner is extremely excited about the excellent overall quality of the selection: “Only masterpieces are featured in the exhibition in Japan – items that are on a par with the sophisticated Japanese art that has educated the minds of local visitors for centuries.”
Intensive restoration work has been carried out on a number of the works to be included in the exhibition, thus enabling them to be presented in the optimal way in Japan.
At the same time, the team from the Princely Collections and colleagues in Japan collaborated on a catalogue presenting introductions to the various themes and describing nearly each object in the exhibition.
