In 1979, when he founded the Hara Museum of Contemporary Art in his grandfather's former residence in Tokyo's Shinagawa district, Toshio Hara was driven by the vision of creating one of Japan's first institutions dedicated to living artists. At the time there were precious few other venues for contemporary art and government support was minimal.
Speaking with the Japan Times recently, Hara reflected: "When I was planning the museum, contemporary art was so uncommon, and in a certain sense unpopular, that there were no guarantees people would actually appreciate it. There was no organizational support or encouragement. Many of my friends thought I was crazy."
Celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, the Hara Museum — housed in a distinctive Bauhaus-style building designed by architect Jin Watanabe that was built in 1938 — is now both a figurative and literal landmark in the country's art landscape.