A Japanese collector overwhelms l’Orangerie

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Pablo Picasso, Saltimbanque aux bras croisés, 1923, Ishibashi foundation

Only a brilliant mind (Japanese in this case) could have thought of turning his own name of Ishibashi into Bridgestone, the exact English translation, and turn it into one of the greatest tyre companies in the world. Shojiro Ishibashi started collecting Japanese and Western art in the 30’s and built a fabulous collection which was added on by his son Kan’ichiro and grandson Hiroshi. The Ishibashi foundation now owns 2 600 treasures of which more than seventy are shown at l’Orangerie in “Tokyo Paris”.

Takeji Fujishima, Remminiscence of Tempyo era, 1902

When he decided to build the museum in 1952, in the center of Tokyo, Shojiro Ishibashi, had already accumulated a number of Impressionist and post impressionist works. All of top quality.

Fumio Asakura, Bust of M. Shôjirô Ishibashi, 1956

Ishibashi was a precurosr. This man whose name means isi : stone, and bashi : bridge, built first an occidental style villa in Kurume his home town. His family had a manufacture of sock-like shoes in this town of South west Japan, famous for its textile industry. He developped it into a rubber company, which became the famous Bridgestone.

Claude Monet, Belle Ile, Effet de Pluie, 1886

His first acquisitions were of yôga paintings, occidental looking Japanese works by Shigeru Aoki and Hanjiro Takeji Fujishima. Foujita is also part of his collection and “Nature morte au chat”, 1939-1940 is shown in Paris. But what is most striking is the quality of paintings he bought.

Pierre Auguste Renoir, Mlle Georgette Charpentier assise, 1876

I was irresistibly attracted by the “Salitmbanque” by Picasso a large red painting hanging next to “Head of a woman” also by Picasso. A view of Belle Ile in the rain by Claude Monet is just as fabulous as is the portrait of Mlle Gerogette Charpentier by Renoir. Degas, (portrait of Leopold Levert) and Caillebotte (young man at the piano) are well represented and so is Courbet whose deer running in the snow is riveting. In 1952, Ishibashi chose a Picasso for the cover of his first catalog, he knew what he was doing !

Gustave Courbet, Deer running in the snow, ca 1856

Very varied in its collection, which ranges from Gustave Moreau (La Toilette) to Zao Wou Ki and JacksonPollock, the Ishibashi foundation takes its full value at Musée de l’Orangerie where so many fabulous paintings from the collection Guillaume are permanently exhibited. This show is a little gem in the Tuileries…

Edgar Degas, Portrait of Leopold Levert, ca 1874

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2 Comments on “A Japanese collector overwhelms l’Orangerie”

  1. One forgets these days how a genuinely beautiful painting can change one’s breathing -and settle it down.

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