The Yamazaki Mazak Museum of Art was opened in Aoi, in the center of Nagoya, in April of 2010 in order to create a rich regional community through art appreciation, and also to contribute to art and culture in Japan as well as worldwide.
The museum possesses and displays works including paintings collected by the museum's founder and first director, Teruyuki Yamazaki, which span from the 18th to 20th Centuries and give a glimpse of 300 years of French art. Also included are Art Nouveau glass and furniture.
The exhibition rooms preserve the atmosphere of times past, displaying items such as wall tapestries and chandeliers that bear a close resemblance to the salons of the time, and we endeavor for visitors to be able to appreciate the artwork in a leisurely fashion. In order for visitors to experience the works down to feeling the brush strokes of each artist, we have removed the glass and plexiglas from the picture frames of the paintings.
"Yamazaki Mazak Corporation," the parent company of the museum, was established in 1919, and is a manufacturer of machine tools that supports the foundations of the world-wide manufacturing industry. "Machine tools" are machines that process metal and other materials to produce individual components and dies and molds. As they are involved in the manufacture of an infinite variety of products in people's daily lives, they are called "mother machines." Highly efficient machine tools are used in the manufacture of a wide variety of products, such as cellular phones, automobiles, aircraft, ships, and artificial satellites, as well as in the medical field for components such as prosthetic bones and joints. It is an essential industry that, in a sense, forms the basis of our daily lives.
The museum's first director, Teruyuki Yamazaki, described artwork and craftwork as "the crystallization of superb sensitivity; as with machine tools, they are a world in which there is a fusion of advanced techniques and sense."
As a producer of machine tools, Yamazaki Mazak will continue to provide cutting edge manufacturing technology to those involved in the manufacturing industry worldwide. As well, this museum, in the spirit of hospitality, will plan such events as gallery talks and concerts related to our collection and exhibitions. We will endeavor to create an environment in which visitors can experience a peaceful moment and enjoy France's rich culture to their heart's content. We would like nothing more than for the museum's cultural activities to lead to a spread of intimate exposure to the arts.
Masanori Goto, Director,
The Yamazaki Mazak Museum of Art