This non-profit gallery was opened in 1919 in Ginza, Tokyo. It is the oldest gallery in Japan that still exists, and has turned out many artists who have left major marks on Japanese art history. Today, the gallery supports innovative artists who are pioneers in the current era, with a focus on contemporary art.

Photograph: Jomi Kim exhibition at “7th shiseido art egg” (Photo by Ken Kato)

Located in Kakegawa-shi, Shizuoka Prefecture, this corporate art museum publically shows the collection of artwork owned by Shiseido. It primarily houses paintings, sculptures, and crafts that were exhibited at the Shiseido Gallery in Ginza, Tokyo, and a portion of these are on display.

This corporate museum in Kakegawa-shi, Shizuoka Prefecture displays the history and culture of Shiseido. Shiseido was founded in 1872 as Japan’s first Western-style pharmacy. This museum exhibits information about Shiseido’s past together with a vast amount of products, posters, advertisements, commercials, and other marketing materials. It also conducts research on topics such as the culture of cosmetics in Japan.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States turned its attention to Shiseido in a class teaching the history and culture of modern Japan. Shiseido’s marketing materials from the Taisho period to the pre-war era—including cosmetic advertisements, store counseling and sales tools, and journals—were posted on the Internet for public view and are used as teaching materials.