Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum is located in Shirokanedai in Tokyo’s Minato-ku. Well known for being of the art deco style, the building itself is a piece of art.

Building

The museum was originally built to be the villa for Prince Asaka Yasuhiko in 1933.The Prince went on exchange to France from 1922 to 1925 to observe the military systems in place. At that time, the art deco style was in its prime, with the opening of the International Exposition of Modern Industrial and Decorative Arts (Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes), (Nicknamed the Art Deco Expo) in Paris, 1925. The Prince was present at the time of this exposition, and was influenced to build his villa in the same style.France’s Henri Rapin, an interior designer, was hired to oversee the interior decorations etc. Henri Rapin was asked to do this personally by Prince Asaka Yasuhiko himself. The chandeliers and glass reliefs were designed by René Lalique.

After World War Two, the Prince was forced to abandon his imperial status, and thus his entire family were made to leave the villa. After this, it was used as Yoshida Shigeru’s official residence and a reception hall. It was not open to the public as a museum until 1983.

Gardens

There are several gardens which stretch out around the building. There are three separate areas, consisting of a grass field, a Japanese style garden, and a western style garden. Depending on the season, different types of flowers can be seen here.

Exhibit Content

The building itself is an art piece, with the museum not having any permanent collections. Five or six times a year there will be a planned exhibition, and once or twice a year, the building is open to the public for picture taking.