The Takano Collection : Paintings by Asai Chu

The collection acquired by Mr. Takano Tokiji of paintings by Asai Chu, a Western-style painter of the Meiji period, includes eleven oil paintings, fifty-six watercolors and sketches, as well as six hanging scrolls. Many of them were painted during Asai's stay in Europe in his mid-forties and display a mature skill. The family of Mr. Takano donated the seventy-three works in 1985, in accordance with the collector's will.

Mr. Takano had aspired to be a painter at young age, and even after entering the world of business he made continuous efforts to collect works of Asai, whom he had long admired. This collection, which Mr. Takano began in his late twenties and spent close to fifty years amassing, speaks eloquently of Mr. Takano's passion and enthusiasm.

This exhibition focuses on works produced by Asai whilst studying abroad and features 20 pieces, including oil paintings painted in France and several watercolors. The pictures painted during Asai's stay in Europe have a feeling of light and a sense of poetry.