| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE NAGOYA/BOSTON MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS OPENS APRIL 17, 1999 Museum of Fine Arts, Boston is First American Museum to Launch Sister Museum in Asia; New Museum Plays Major Role in Cultural Life of Nagoya Monet, Renoir, and the Impressionist Landscape and Art of the Ancient Mediterranean World . There will also be a special installation of a Japanese 17th-century painted folding screen in the "Japanese Corner" of the museum. The new museum, adjacent to busy Kanayama train station, will be operated by the Foundation for the Arts, Nagoya (FAN). The N/BMFA will be the first museum in Japan to provide a comprehensive view of world art across all cultures and time periods. The N/BMFA will be directed by Tadao Ogura, who was previously the Director of the Kyoto National Museum of Modern Art. "We have been preparing for this extraordinary partnership since 1991, and are proud to be part of such an historic moment," says Malcolm Rogers, Ann and Graham Gund Director, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. "For years we have been committed to sharing our great treasures with the people of Japan, sending exhibitions drawn from our collections across the Pacific. Because the Museum of Fine Arts has had a strong relationship with Japan for more than a century, it makes perfect sense to strengthen our cultural ties with Japan in the new millennium." "We are very excited about this new museum. The N/BMFA is a great source of pride for the people of Nagoya," says Kiichiro Ito, Chairman of the Foundation for the Arts, Nagoya. "We have built a bridge over the Pacific Ocean, from Nagoya to Boston—from the heartland of Japan, an industrial metropolis built upon hundreds of years of history and cultural heritage, to one of the most historic and important cities in the United States." | |
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