Taro Okamoto (1911-1996) used to say that "Art is like the sun." The artist, known for "Taiyo no To" (Tower of the Sun), the symbol of the Japan World Exposition 1970 in Osaka Prefecture, meant that art was not only for the wealthy, but should rain down evenly on everyone like the rays of the sun.
This conviction is precisely why more than 140 of Okamoto's artworks are on display in about 70 locations in parks and other public spaces throughout Japan. Okamoto can be regarded as a pioneer of the nation's public art scene.
The public also has access to the creative home base of the late artist in the form of the Taro Okamoto Memorial Museum, which is located in a corner of Tokyo's Minami-Aoyama area that brims with a sophisticated atmosphere.
Upon entering the grounds, visitors are met with a large golden face that beams out a smile as well as protruding golden flames. Called "Taiyo no Kao" (Face of the Sun), the work dates from the latter half of the 1980s. It is one of 16 objects that line the museum's garden, all of which visitors are free to touch and photograph.
The about 500-square-meter building was formerly Okamoto's house and studio. Inside, visitors can see his belongings, such as a desk lined with paintbrushes and huge canvases stored in shelves as tall as a two-story house.
Meanwhile, Okamoto's former reception room now serves as an exhibition hall. Among the artworks there are red and blue chairs in the shape of a hand as well as a life-size statue of Okamoto himself.
While the majority of the art that Okamoto left behind was donated to the Taro Okamoto Museum of Art in the artist's hometown of Kawasaki (a city-run institution in Kawasaki's Tama Ward), the memorial museum also houses about 2,000 items, including unfinished works. Work is still in progress to sort and archive the massive collection.
Many new discoveries have been made at the memorial museum. For example, "Dengeki" (Lightning Bolt), a work once believed to be lost, was uncovered in 2006. In 2007, 402 sketches that Okamoto made while planning the design of "Tower of the Sun" were found in the museum's materials room.
Last year witnessed the 20th anniversary of the memorial museum's opening, as well the announcement that Osaka Prefecture -- where Okamoto poured himself into producing Tower of the Sun -- will again host a world exposition. A movie about the tower was also released.
The number of visitors to the memorial museum, which had been hovering at about 30,000 to 40,000 annually, also surpassed 50,000 last year. Young people and foreigners have been conspicuous among recent visitors.
"This memorial museum is full of Taro [Okamoto]'s energy and passion for art. I want visitors to feel this passion with their entire being," said Yoshio Takahashi, secretary general of the memorial museum.
-- Taro Okamoto Memorial Museum
Okamoto's art is displayed throughout Japan. In Tokyo, "Wakai Tokeidai" (Young Clock Tower) can be found in Sukiyabashi Park in Chuo Ward, and the wall painting "Asu no Shinwa" (Myth of Tomorrow) adorns Shibuya Station. The museum, which opened in 1998, is an eight-minute walk from Tokyo Metro's Omotesando Station.
Address: 6-1-19 Minami-Aoyama, Minato Ward, Tokyo
Open: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. (Entry is until 5:30 p.m.) Closed on Tuesdays.
Admission: 310 yen for elementary school students or younger, 620 yen for adults
Information: (03) 3406-0801
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
