About the Collection

The Karuizawa Ando Museum of Art houses approximately 300 works by Tsuguharu Foujita, which have been collected over the years by Yasushi Ando, ​​the representative director who has been involved in the revitalization of many Japanese companies, and his wife Megumi, who have cherished the pieces and displayed them in their home. It all began with a print that the Ando couple picked up at a gallery in Karuizawa. They were captivated by the adorable cat depicted in it, and so the collection began to take shape.

This is the first private art museum in Japan to permanently exhibit only Fujita's works, focusing on paintings of "Girls," "Cats," and "Madonna and Child," motifs that Fujita continued to paint throughout his life, as well as precious early landscapes, the milky white nudes that are synonymous with Fujita, and handmade works such as furniture and tableware decorated by the artist himself.

Main Collections

Exhibition Room 2: Traveling to France - From searching for style to milky white foundation

After moving to France in 1913, Fujita explored a variety of styles before eventually completing his "wonderful milky-white ground" which swept across Europe. This exhibition will focus on some of his earliest works from the Ando Collection, including landscapes of Paris from his time in France, nudes painted with the translucent "milky-white ground" that became synonymous with Fujita, and portraits of religion and children that he painted in his later years.

Exhibition Room 3: Traveling Painters - Latin America, Japan, New York

In 1931, Foujita left Paris for Central and South America with his new lover, Madeleine. Enthralled by the richly shaded appearances, which differed from both European and Asian, and the colorful customs of the local people, the brushwork and colors that adorned his paintings underwent a transformation. Here, we will introduce works themed around his travels, as well as the footsteps of Foujita, who then returned to Japan and became engulfed in the turbulent times as the footsteps of war approached.

Room 4: Returning to Paris – The Path to Faith

Returning to France via New York in 1950, Fujita began painting nostalgic Parisian landscapes and young girls. Having experienced setbacks during the war, he resolved never to return to Japan and instead chose to live life as the Frenchman Léonard Foujita. His subject matter eventually shifted from innocent young girls to pure saints and icon-like images of the Virgin Mary and Child. This exhibition introduces the majestic and tranquil world of religious painting, which could be said to be the climax of the Ando Collection.

Exhibition Room 5: The World of Girls and Cats

The Ando Collection began with a print that the Ando couple came across. They were captivated by the adorable cat depicted in the print, and so the collection began to take shape. This room, lined with rows of "girls" and "cats," is an exhibition room that "recreates the Ando residence," which is also the museum's concept. The Ando couple's long-held wish to have visitors relax on comfortable sofas and take their time to appreciate Fujita's works has now been realized.

A museum that feels like home

The Fujita works housed in our museum are works that Mr. and Mrs. Ando cherished daily, hanging on the walls of their homes in Roppongi and Koganei. We wanted people to be able to view the Fujita works that they cherished in their home in a relaxed environment. Our museum is the realization of that wish of Mr. and Mrs. Ando. The exhibition rooms are arranged around a courtyard in a building clad in British red brick, and are designed to recreate the Ando residence, with wallpaper in green, yellow, blue, and red characterizing each room.

The artwork as it was displayed at the Ando residence