You must have come from enjoying works by Claude Monet, and when you leave this gallery and go down the stairs, you will find sculptures by Auguste Rodin. These are two of the most renowned artists represented in the Matsukata Collection, the foundation of the National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo.
In 2012, a new collection entered the museum. In marked contrast to the foundation collection, it consists of jewelry, predominantly finger rings, created in most cases by nameless artists. The man who assembled it, Hashimoto Kanshi (1924–2018), believed a collection only became complete when donated to a public museum, and so, because of his noble thought, “The Hashimoto Collection” has come here. This exhibition presents a selection of around 200 of the more than 700 rings.
Each of you will have your own image of a ring. Strolling around the room, you will soon realize that your image represents only a fraction of what is possible. Herein lies the wonderful appeal of the Hashimoto Collection: the rich variety of the pieces he steadily gathered over the years. The museum is truly privileged to hold one of the world’s most notable jewelry collections. We invite you to appreciate the vast array of finger rings on display—the choice is endless.
Finally, we wish to express our sincere gratitude to Nippon BS Broadcasting Corporation for co-sponsoring this exhibition.
The National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo