Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum

Established in 1983, the Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum presents a rare unified vision of the Art Deco style of design. The exterior and interior of the main building are done uniformly in Art Deco style, creating a sense of harmony that extends beyond the building to include the luxuriant garden that surrounds it, and the artworks exhibited within.

The main structure, located in a peaceful, park-like setting in the heart of Tokyo, was built in 1933 as the residence of the Prince and Princess Asaka. During an extended stay in Paris, the prince and princess became acquainted with the decorative style that was extremely popular in Europe from the 1910s to 1930s, and which later came to be known as Art Deco. When it was necessary to have their home in Tokyo reconstructed, the prince and princess were eager to have it built in this style. Henri Rapin, a major French designer of the period, was commissioned to design the interiors of many of the rooms, including the entrance hall, the great hall, the salon, the great dining hall, and the study. René Lalique also contributed to the residence’s design. Yōkichi Gondō of the architecture department of the Imperial Household Ministry’s Construction Bureau oversaw the basic plan and interior decoration. Thus, the finished building can be described as a fusion of Japanese and Western elements.

Because of its elegance and historical importance, the Prince Asaka Residence has been praised as an extremely rare architectural work as well as a masterpiece of Art Deco design. Its significance in the history of architecture led to its designation in 1993 as Tangible Cultural Properties (Building) of Tokyo.

This booklet provides explanation and detail the main building of the museum, formerly the Prince Asaka Residence. It is a building that fully conveys the feeling of its era, and will fascinate visitors for years to come as a monument to the Art Deco style.

An expansion completed in 2014 has opened up new possibilities. 
As we maintain and preserve the charm of the former residence in the main building, a new annex with modern gallery space allows us to expand our activities in new directions. Few art museums anywhere enjoy the same level of harmony between old and new, and between architecture and landscape. We hope that people from all over the world will have the opportunity to visit this unique museum, and that our exhibitions will serve as bridges of intercultural understanding.