町田市立国際版画美術館Machida City Museum of Graphic Arts
© Machida City Museum of Graphic Arts
Exclusively dedicated to printmaking, unusual for museums all over the world, the Machida City Museum of Graphic Arts opened its doors to the public in 1987町田市立国際版画美術館は、世界でも数少ない版画を専門とする美術館として1987年に開館。古くは奈良時代から現代まで、日本をはじめ海外の版画を収集し、その保存と調査につとめ、収蔵品は２万２千点を超える。版画工房やアトリエを併設し、市民に向けて開放している点も大きな特色である。
広々とした芹ヶ谷（せりがや）公園の一角にある。巨大なステンレス製の噴水のモニュメントや子供が遊べる水路、並木道などの奧に穏やかに佇んでいる。建物は吹き抜けの構造で、２階の展示室は吹き抜けの空間をぐるりと囲むように連なっている。そのため、１階の広間は天井が高く広々としており、２階に上がるための階段も幅が広く取られて、ゆったりと落ち着いた心地がする。喫茶店には屋外の席もあり、美術館全体が豊かな自然のなかでゆるやかな時の流れを楽しめる場所になっている。
町田市立国際版画美術館
住所：東京都町田市原町田4-28-1
開館時間：10:00～17:00（土・日・祝日17:30まで、月曜休館）
入館料：企画展示は展覧会によって料金が異なる
TEL：042-726-2771
http://www.hanga-museum.jp
Text: Youhei Kimura. The museum’s collection includes a comprehensive number of Japanese prints – including prints by Hokusai and Utagawa – going as far back as the Nara period (AD 710-794). Renowned overseas artists are also on show, featuring prints by Manet, Delacroix, Toulouse-Lautrec, Picasso and Kandinsky. With an excess of 22,000 artworks in storage, this museum is also unique as it has printmaking studios and ateliers available to the local community.
It is located on the edges of spacious Serigaya Park in Machida, Tokyo. Quietly standing among the park’s tree-lined roads is a giant fountain made of steel, surrounded by watercourses where children can play. The entrance hall stairwell takes you to the 2nd floor, where it seamlessly leads into the exhibition space. As the entrance is a spacious area with high ceilings, the atmosphere feels relaxed and calm as you first go up the stairs. The coffee shop, located on the 1st floor, has outdoor seating. The museum is surrounded by an abundance of greenery, which makes it a very special place where you can spend an afternoon at a leisurely pace.
Machida City Museum of Graphic Arts
Address: 4-28-1 Haramachida, Machida, Tokyo
Opening Hours: 10:00 – 17:00 (Saturday, Sunday, Public Holiday till 17:30)
Closed on Monday
Admission fee may differ according to exhibitions.
Tel: 042-726-2771
http://www.hanga-museum.jp
Text: Youhei Kimura
Translation: Rafael de Lima
