Preserving and utilizing historical buildings, and creating
new value from the perspective of the decorative arts

We aim to be an art museum that is open to all audiences and to form a cultural urban space by holding distinctive exhibitions, utilizing the garden, and engaging in educational outreach activities while taking advantage of the museum building’s characteristics as a historical building.

1. Preserve the Main Building, which is a historical building, and exhibit it to the public
2.  Hold exhibitions and implement various projects that express new values based on the decorative arts in contemporary society
3. Form a cultural urban space based on three pillars: “Historical buildings,” “decorative arts,” and “gardens”
4. Be an art museum that is open to all audiences

Since our establishment in 1983, the Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum has followed a management policy of “preserving” and “utilizing” our Main Building, which is an Art Deco-style historical building constructed in 1933.

In terms of “preserving” the building, we began restoration work on the Main Building upon opening it to the public. We have also been holding annual “Looking at Architecture” exhibitions that double as research projects on the Art Deco style. One of the results of these efforts was the designation of the Main Building as an Important Cultural Property of Japan in 2015, as a part of the “Former Residence of Prince Asaka.”

In terms of “utilizing” the building, we have used the building to plan exhibitions featuring artworks from Japan and around the world, mainly from the perspective of the decorative arts. We chose this focus because the term “Art Deco” is derived from the French word arts décoratifs, which means “decorative arts” (decorativeness expressed in architecture, design, crafts, furniture, and fine arts).

With the renovation of the Annex in 2014, we added “creating new value” to our management policy. This added the exhibition of works by artists who create decorative arts from a contemporary perspective to the Teien Art Museum’s exhibition program.

In addition to the above, we will engage in a variety of educational and promotional projects, including a project that utilizes the garden from the perspective of expressing the value of the decorative arts in contemporary society, in order to contribute to the creation and communication of Tokyo’s cultural attractions.

[Our Future Direction]

(1) Bring out the unique charms of the facility to the fullest extent possible.

• We will pursue new forms of artistic expression that leverage the unique spatial characteristics of the Main Building, which used to be an Art Deco-style mansion, and garden, and publicize the results of our efforts.
• We will work toward the establishment of utilization measures that will enable the long-term preservation of cultural properties while giving due consideration to the characteristics of component parts that are susceptible to the impacts of public access. 

(2) Promote diversity initiatives.

• We will promote the expansion of viewing opportunities for a diverse range of people and develop projects that promote their participation in society.
• We will contribute to the creation of a multicultural society by enhancing exchange programs targeting international residents in cooperation with neighboring public institutions and cultural facilities.

(3) Function as a hub for community cultural exchange.

• We will aim to become a base facility for cultural exchange in the community by expanding the use of the garden and other facilities to hold events.