25 March – 11 April, 2010
The Teien Art Museum, formerly the Prince Asaka Residence and now designated by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government as a tangible cultural property, hosts numerous exhibitions that make effective use of its architecture. Visitors often say, however, that, while they enjoyed the exhibition, they wish that they had been able to seem more of the building itself. This exhibition, our annual open house, provides that opportunity at the perfect season, while the cherry trees in the museum’s gardens are in full bloom.
During this exhibition, visitors will be able to see not only the residence itself but also materials related to the life and career of Prince Asaka and works of art in the Art Deco style of the building itself and related materials. The fifty items being exhibited include including vases and lamps designed by Henri Rapin, who was responsible for the interior decoration of the residence, together with vases, candlesticks, and car mascots by René Lalique, who produced the engraved glass panels for the doors at the main entrance, and materials related to the Paris Exposition of 1925, the famous Art Deco Exhibition that inspired Prince Asaka and Princess Nobuko to build their residence in that style.