Last updated on 2026-05-29
My impressions of the “Building Open to the Public 2022: Rare Art Deco Books” exhibition, which I saw at the Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum in Meguro, Tokyo in May 2022.
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Table of contents
Exhibition Overview
- Exhibition Title: Building Open House 2022: Rare Art Deco Books
- Period: April 23, 2022 (Sat) – June 12, 2022 (Sun)
- Closed: Mondays
- Location: Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum, Main Building 1st and 2nd Floors, New Building
- Admission Fee: 1000 yen (General Admission)
This exhibition consists of works from the collection of the Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum.
My impression “Enjoying book decorations in a dimly lit Historic residence”
The 2022 Building Open House, titled “Rare Books of the Art Deco Period,” displayed its collection of books in both the main and new buildings. Unfortunately, the day I visited was rainy and gloomy, so the building was relatively empty and had a relaxed atmosphere. The interior was softly lit by unique lighting fixtures, which created a different kind of beauty than on a sunny day when sunlight streams in.
In the main building, books were displayed in approximately one display case per room. This ensured that visitors could fully appreciate the building’s decorations, the main attraction of the open house.
The books are primarily displayed in the new building. One that particularly caught my eye was Les artistes du livre (The Artists of the Book) (Paris: Henri Babou, 1528–1533). This book features 24 book illustrators, each with a cover of a different color. Its binding would surely please collectors.
The featured artists are as follows: Although only the covers were on display at the exhibition, the caption states that “each volume has the same structure: a critique of the work, a preface by the artist, a portrait of the artist or a contemporary, criticism, and an illustration of the artist’s representative work, followed by bibliographic information.” As of 2026, used copies are available in Japan, and some of the artists’ works are being sold at relatively low prices.
- CARLEGE
- Charles Martin
- Joseph Hémard
- Jean-Émile LABOUREUR
- HERMANN PAUL
- Pierre BRISSAUD
- Mathurin MEHEUT
- Sylvain SAUVAGE
- DIGNIMONT（André Dignimont）
- George BARBIER
- Alméry Lobel-Riche
- André Édouard Marty
- Gabriel BELOT
- Auguste BROUET
- Fernand SIMEON
- BERTHOLD MAHN
- Marcel VERTES
- Louis MORIN
- Pierre BONNARD
- Edouard CHIMOT
- Louis LEGRAND
- Paul JOUVE
- Jecques TOUCHET
- J.-L PERRICHON
Summary
The Historic residence under the cloudy sky had a different atmosphere to that experienced during the day or at night, which allowed me to fully appreciate the precious book collection.
More than six months had passed since the lifting of the restrictions imposed due to the pandemic, yet the museum was still operating on a reservation system. This meant that crowds could be avoided and that the winter garden on the third floor remained closed to the public.
Reference links
寄付のお願い・Request for donations
Affiliate links
- Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum・Ads by Amazon
- Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum・Ads by Rakuten
- Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum・Ads by Yahoo Shopping
- Les Artistes du livre・Ads by Amazon
- Les Artistes du livre・Ads by Rakuten
Photo Equipment
- HASSELBLAD X1D2-50C +HASSELBLAD HCD 28mm F4
Update history
- 2026.5.27
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