Roppongi, Marunouchi, Shinjuku, and Shibuya …… are areas that are often visited for work and private life, where artworks of international importance are casually installed. Many people have seen them but do not know the names of the works or artists. Please remember this the next time you pass by this artwork.
1, Louise Bourgeois’s “Maman
A work by Louise Bourgeois, a female sculptor from France. The 10-meter-high “Maman” ( ), viewed from below, holds nearly 20 glistening white marble eggs inside her body, which reflect the artist’s admiration for her mother. It is also said that the image of the spiderthreading its web is superimposed on the image of my mother, who was a weaver. It has been permanently installed at the “Tate Modern” in London, the “Guggenheim Museum” in Bilbao, Spain, and the “Rium” in Seoul.
Roppongi Hills
2, “Rose” by Isa Genzken
Right under the nose of “Maman”, A large rose is blooming in a small garden surrounded by flowers and trees. The “Rose” is an 8-meter sculpture by German artist Isa Genzken. The detailed expression of the veins of the leaves and the thorns on the stems make this a work of art that is definitely worth stopping to take a closer look at. It is also permanently installed in the courtyard of “MoMa” in NY
Roppongi Hills
3, Yayoi Kusama’s “I am a Pumpkin
One of the works on display at the Marunouchi Street Gallery on Marunouchi Nakadori Avenue. The famous “pumpkin” is located on Naoshima Island in Kagawa Prefecture, but the “pumpkin” in Tokyo is known as the first work made of stone carving. Kusama compared his theme to “eternity” and infused eternal life into his work by superimposing himself on the black granite that will remain semi-permanently.
4, “Growing Gardener” by Inges Idey
Many of you may have seen it from the window when taking the Yamanote Line from Gotanda to Osaki. Installed in the installation garden area of an office building, the work is based on the motif of a gardener, which means guardian of the forest. Inges Idee is a unit formed in Berlin in 1992 when four artists collaborated on an art project in public space. In Japan, there is also a giant ghost work near the restrooms at the Towada Museum of Contemporary Art.
📍 Art Village Osaki Central Tower
5, Robert Indiana’s “LOVE
The word “LOVE” stands out in the office district of Nishi-Shinjuku. The objects, created by American artist Robert Indiana, have been exhibited in cities around the world, including New York, Taipei, Valencia, and Vancouver.
📍 Shinjuku Island
6, Yoshiko Miyashita’s “Shinjuku no Me
Since its creation by sculptor Yoshiko Miyashita in 1969, it has been damaged by someone, and there were rumors of its demolition due to the demolition of the “Subaru Building,” but it still watches over many people passing by in Shinjuku. The pupil is about 3 m high and 10 m wide. The work has lighting embedded inside, and the pupils are designed to rotate.
📍 Shinjuku Station West Exit Underground Plaza
7, Tomokazu Matsuyama’s “Hanao
Giant sculpture by NY-based artist Tomokazu Matsuyama. The mirror-finished material reflects the scenery of Shinjuku, changing its expression depending on the angle of view. Chairs are lined up on the pedestal, and many people relax here.
📍Shinjuku Station East Exit Station Square
8, Roy Lichtenstein’s “Tokyo Brushstroke I
Sculpture by Roy Lichtenstein, a New York painter who represents Pop Art along with Andy Warhol and others. As the title “Brush Strokes” suggests, it represents the brushstrokes and brushstrokes left behind when painting. Tokyo Brushstoroke II is located in the atrium of the Shinjuku Island Wing.
📍Shinjuku Island Wing/Wing
9,Taro Okamoto’s “Myth of Tomorrow
This huge mural, 30 meters long and 5.5 meters high, was created at the same time as the Tower of the Sun and is said to be a “counterpart” to the tower. What is depicted is the tragic moment when the atomic bomb explodes, but it is not simply a picture of the victims. It contains a strong message that people can proudly overcome even the cruelest tragedies, and that “the myth of tomorrow” will be born only after that.
📍Connecting passageway between Shibuya Station on the Keio Inokashira Line and JR Shibuya Station
10,Jaume Plensa’s “Roots.
The sculpture is by a world-renowned Spanish artist who also designed a boat landing on Ogijima Island in the Seto Inland Sea. Using letters in eight different languages, the human figure sits on his knees, expressing the “diversity of the world” through letters reflecting each culture and symbolizing “the peaceful coexistence of people across diverse cultural differences.
📍Oval Plaza at Toranomon Hills
