Art Treasures from Kyoto [antikvár]

FOREWORD Artistic cooperation between Japan and Czechoslovakia in the post-war period has mostly involved music. Unfortunately, the fine arts have lagged behind. Therefore, I was very pleased to discover a vivid tradition of enthusiastic Japanese art collectors in the Czech Republic when I was preparing an exhibition of Japanese art from Czech museums, which was held in January and February this year. The number of visitors to the special exhibition "A Visit from Prague - Japanese Art from Czech Museums", reached almost 20,000. Thus, I consider the Czech history of Japanese-art collecting to be magnificent. The exhibition of Japanese art from the Kyoto National Museum is being held at the beautiful Kinsky Palace in the historic heart of Prague, as the second part of the international cultural exchange. The special event presents the art of painting, sculpture, calligraphy crafts and archeological articles from the Kyoto National Museum. Selecting the exhibits, totalling sixty-seven objects from the Museum and two artworks from the Agency for Cultural Affairs (Bunkacho), was not easy at all. The number of exhibits may seem moderate; however, we were focusing on the excellence of the works of art. Only the highest-quality objects are being displayed in this representative exhibition of Japanese art in the heart of Europe. I believe that this exhibition will further strengthen the cultural relations between Japan and the Czech Republic. Finally, I would like to thank all those who organized the exhibition, for which I have the strongest hope and confidence of success. Hiroshi Kozen Director of the Kyoto National Museum September 2002