2022

Announcing the Marubeni Gallery Opening Exhibition II:
“The Pursuing and Passing Down the Beauty - Kimono of the Marubeni Collection”

May. 10. 2022
Marubeni Corporation

Marubeni Gallery

Marubeni Corporation (“Marubeni”) is pleased to announce that the Marubeni Gallery Opening Exhibition II: “The Pursuing and Passing Down the Beauty—Kimono of the Marubeni Collection” will be held from June 7 to August 1, 2022. The exhibition will feature a total of 44 items from the Marubeni textile collection, one of the three pillars of the Marubeni Collection, with 22 items on display during Part I and the remaining 22 items on display during Part II of the exhibition period.

This exhibition tells the story of how and why Marubeni came to collect numerous beautiful and historic textile products throughout the 1920s and 30s—including the items visitors can view in the Marubeni Gallery this summer. Marubeni’s origins lie in textiles: founded as a traveling Omi linen business founded in 1858, the company then expanded into the dyeing and textile business in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. By the late 1920s, Marubeni had begun to pursue the creation of textile products that had a timeless, universal beauty, and thus turned an eye to the beauty found in ancient textiles. To study the dyeing and weaving techniques and designs of the past, Marubeni carefully assembled a collection of these ancient textiles, which would inform and inspire the products of the present and the future. The beauty contained in this collection has been passed down from its original creators to Marubeni, to this exhibition, and to the future ahead.

The Marubeni Gallery was opened in November 2021 in Otemachi, an area that is not only the heart of Tokyo’s business district, but also home to many museums and the beautiful greenery of the Imperial Palace. By making the most of the Marubeni Gallery’s potential and its excellent location, Marubeni will continue to contribute to the promotion of art and culture in Japan.

Exhibition Details:    
Dates : Tuesday, June 7 to Monday, August 1, 2022
  Part I: Tuesday, June 7 to Saturday, July 2, 2022
  Part II: Monday, July 4 to Monday, August 1, 2022
Hours : 10 am to 5 pm (Last admission: 4:30 pm)
Closed : Sundays and public holidays
  Note: Also closed whenever the Marubeni Building is closed.
  Please check the Marubeni Gallery website for details.
Admission :

General admission: 500 yen
All proceeds from general admission sales will be donated to the Marubeni Foundation.
  Note: Admission is free for the following groups.
  ・ Children under 18 and 18/19-year-old senior high school students (with student ID)
  ・Visitors with an official disability certificate, plus one accompanying caregiver
  ・ Visitors wearing a kimono or yukata during the Opening Exhibition II period

Events : Planned events include a public talk on the future of kimono, a workshop for children, and a kimono exhibition and sale by Kyoto Marubeni Corporation.
  Note: Please check the Marubeni Gallery website for details.
Marubeni Gallery

About the Marubeni Gallery:
Designed under the concept of “a space where the aesthetics of the East and West in ancient and modern times resonate with each other,” the Marubeni Gallery is a facility where Marubeni’s art collection is on display to the public. Marubeni’s art collection consists of the three main categories: textiles, designs for textiles, and paintings. Since its founding in 1858, Marubeni has pursued the aesthetic beauty of Japan through its textile business. This resulted in the collection and preservation of ancient textile products (such as kimono, obi, and silk gift-wrapping cloth) and designs primarily from the 17th to mid-19th centuries—the first and second pillars of the collection. Gaining contacts in the art world through this pursuit of textile designs, Marubeni also acquired modern Japanese paintings through art dealers or from the artists themselves. Later, in the 1960s and 70s, Marubeni expanded into the international art business, acquiring Western paintings as well. Together, these Japanese and Western paintings form the third pillar of the collection. Today, the Marubeni Gallery features rotating exhibitions to share this collection, the history of Marubeni, and the aesthetic beauty of both East and West with the public.

Official Website https://www.marubeni.com/gallery/en/
Official Instagram : https://instagram.com/marubeni_gallery_official

Future Exhibits (Details TBD):
Opening Exhibition III: La Bella Simonetta (December 1, 2022 to January 31, 2023)
Opening Exhibition IV: Exhibition of Textile Designs (May 16, 2023 to July 11, 2023)

Back