Discover Shinjuku’s History as an Artistic Hub
To celebrate its 50th anniversary, the Sompo Museum of Art is turning its lens toward its own backyard: the bustling, ever-evolving district of Shinjuku. Starting in the late Meiji period, Shinjuku was a magnet for rising artists and a center of Japanese modernism. This exhibition marks the first time a museum in the neighborhood — one of Tokyo’s most famous — has dedicated time and space to tracing the area’s history as a creative powerhouse.
The exhibition features works spanning roughly half a century, highlighting the legacy of artists who are now household names in Japan, such as Tsune Nakamura and Yuzo Saeki. Offering a glimpse into the Parisian salon-esque art scene that once flourished in Shinjuku, the exhibition thoughtfully examines how the neighborhood’s urban energy, along with figures like Shunsuke Matsumoto and Aiko Miyawaki, redefined the Japanese art world.
