ABOUT US

The Menard Art Museum

In October 1987, the Menard Art Museum was opened by Nippon Menard Cosmetic Co., Ltd. Founder, Nonogawa Daisuke and his wife, Mitsuko, in order to make the artworks they had collected for some 20 years accessible to the public in the couple's hometown of Komaki, Aichi Prefecture.

Through their involvement in female beauty as producers of cosmetics, the couple developed an interest in art as something that enriches the heart and began collecting works that were imbued with the individual character of their creators.

Giving as many people as possible a chance to experience the joy derived from a work of art, which fosters inner beauty, is the fundamental purpose of the museum.

We hope that the Menard Art Museum will provide you with a space full of tranquility and a place full of beautiful and cultural creativity.

Overview of the Facility

The Menard Art Museum was designed in order to create a space in which visitors can appreciate art in a rich, natural environment and a relaxed atmosphere.

Built in 1987, the robust structure consists of exterior walls made of granite and interior walls of marble.

At the entrance to the museum is a stone nameplate with calligraphy by Japanese-style painter Kayama Matazo and, in the rear of an expansive, verdant fore-garden stands a robust, granite building that exudes a relaxed air. Continuing up the stone steps of the approach, visitors are drawn into a world of art as the hustle and bustle of the town give way to the sound of flowing water in a fountain.

The expansive space, with its high ceilings and natural light, greets visitors, while each of the five elegant exhibition rooms surrounds the inner patio.

Expanded in 2009, with an Annex that includes a multipurpose hall, visitors can now make use of a reading room and relaxation space and plans are underway to organize lectures and classes related to each of the exhibitions.

Place for healing

Nippon Menard Cosmetics Co., Ltd. had clarified that art appreciation at MENARD ART MUSEUM lowers psychological and physiological stress and presented the results at The 14th Japanese Association of Health Psychology on 3rd and 4th of November, 2001.

Sonmon no hi

Located along the approach to the entrance of the Menard Art Museum, the commemorating monument (Sonmon no hi), dedicated to the memory of Nonogawa Mitsuko, who passed away in the summer of 1987, stands quietly.
Comprising work by the local poet Kashiwagi Yoshio and the calligraphy by the Western-style painter Shimada Shozo, the monument bears an inscription that celebrates the life of a woman whose greatest passion was collecting works of art: "Interweaving the meaning of work and an aspiration for beauty is the ordinary clothing of the soul."