Last updated on 2026-05-31
My impressions of the “Looking at Architecture 2011 Art Deco Residence” exhibition, which I saw at the Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum in Meguro, Tokyo in April 2011.
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Table of contents
Exhibition Overview
- Exhibition Title: Looking at Architecture 2011 Art Deco Residence
- Period: October 6th – October 30th, 2011
- Open until 9 PM from October 28th to 30th
- Closed: Mondays
- Location: Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum, Main Building, 1st and 2nd Floors
- Admission Fee: 800 yen (General Admission)
This exhibition consists of works from the collection of the Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum.
Impression: “The Art Deco Residence before renovations, bathed in blue light.”
The building opened to the public in early winter of 2011, just before the fall foliage season in Tokyo. I visited on October 30, the last day of the public opening. I arrived at the building just before 5 p.m.
Compared to previous years, the exhibits inside the building in 2011 had a slightly different feel, likely due to the upcoming major renovations. First, the outdoor lights used blue lamps or filters to emit a blue light.
As you can see in the photo above, the blue light shines from the main entrance and the outdoor lighting next to the winter garden on the third floor.
Honestly, the blue lighting didn’t quite match the Art Deco building. As far as I know, I haven’t seen the building illuminated in blue light since then.
As in previous years, the winter garden was open. Although I had to wait due to the crowds, I was able to view it. Inside, the red table and four red chairs were on display again.
There were also more indoor exhibits than last year. On the first floor, there were three penguin statues in a small guest room, and a piano was in the main dining room. The second floor’s North Room displayed a collection of glass products.
The photo below shows some of the North Room’s exhibits: a flat bowl titled “Goldfish” by Lalique (front) and a vase titled “Oran” (back).
I visited in 2011 on the last day of public access before renovations, which was a Sunday. There were many visitors, and the museum was crowded. Since there were no restrooms inside before the new building was added, I stayed until around 6:30 p.m. before leaving.
Even though it was only 6:30 p.m., it was already completely dark outside, and a projection screen was being used on the museum’s walls. As I mentioned earlier, a blue light, either from a lamp or film, illuminated the ceiling of the service entrance on the left side of the photo.
While the Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum’s official website has removed information about exhibitions held before its major renovation, a list of past exhibitions since its opening in 1983 is included in the “Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum Annual Report 2015,” distributed in 2015.
Summary
I planned my final visit before the three-year renovation work began for one of the evening opening days, but it ended up being the last one.
Fortunately, it wasn’t so crowded that viewing the exhibits became a painful experience, especially since it was the last day before closure.
By being considerate of others, I was able to enjoy the exhibits and photograph the museum before the renovations.
Reference links
- Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum
- Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum Annual Report 2015・PDF material
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Affiliate links
- Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum・Ads by Amazon
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Photo Equipment
- LEICA M9 +KONICA KM-HEXANON 50mm F1.2 +LEICA SUMMILUX M 35mm F1.4
Update history
- 2026.5.30
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