Japonismes 2018: les âmes en résonance
ANDO Hiroyasu / President, The Japan Foundation
May 30, 2019
Japonismes 2018 (https://japonismes.org/en/), an extensive exhibition showcasing the art and culture of Japan, was held in Paris for eight months from July 2018. It attracted about 3.5 million viewers, and won high acclaim among the French people.
There is no doubt that Japanese art and culture excel in quality and attract a high degree of interest from overseas. Regrettably, however, Japan is still lagging behind in projecting these assets to people abroad. We therefore put in a lot of preparation time and a large budget, amounting to nearly \ 4 billion, to stage this exhibition, on the largest scale ever of Japanese cultural festivals held abroad.
We focused not so much on the quantity or number of the programs as on the quality, and took care to have first class works of art in the caliber of national treasurers as well as artists who represented the highest levels of Japanese art. In terms of content, we covered a full range from traditional to contemporary art and culture, and widened the scope so that not just the experts but also the young and those visiting with their families could have a good time. As a result, Mr. Jack Lang, former minister of culture known for his rich experience and erudition in the filed of art, praised the exhibition as “Superb! Admirable! Magnificent!” Mr. Louis Schweitzer, former chairman of Renault, who acted as the special representative of the Foreign Minister, commented that the exhibition had a positive impact on the whole range of Japanese-French relations, not just cultural, but also diplomatic, economic and other aspects.
There was practically no negative reaction from the French media, which tends normally to be somewhat caustic. Instead, such favorable responses were seen as “You see Japan every where” or “Japan showed a strong presence, and the programs were of impressively high quality.”
To explain the background, the Japanese Prime Minister and the French President agreed to hold this series of events in commemoration of the 160th anniversary of Japan-France friendship. The joint committee comprising high officials of the two governments met more than ten times to prepare for the project. In the course of the exhibition, Crown Prince Naruhito, Prime Minister Abe, Foreign Minister Kono and other Japanese dignitaries visited France and saw a number of the programs. The private sectors of both Japan and France extended generous cooperation including funding.
Above all, the success of the project was largely attributable to the choice of France as the venue country. Among the countries of the world, France has the highest level of art and culture and, in particular, has deep interest in and understanding of Japanese culture.
But even in France, understanding of Japanese culture was not quite enough in certain aspects. In a number of instances, difficulties arose as programs proposed with confidence by the Japanese side were deemed by the French side to be lacking in familiarity to the French people. Such was the case with the Jakuchū exhibition, which attracted a phenomenal crowd of 75,000 viewers in a month. Initially, the reaction was unenthusiastic in many quarters where it was said that Jakuchū had never been heard of. As it turned out, it was a resounding success with long queues of people at Petit Palais Museum.
Because of the differences in perspective between the Japanese and French sides, intense debates often took place on the selection of the works to be exhibited as well as the manner of exhibition. For example, it took nearly two years to select the 119 films to be shown on the program “100 years of Japanese cinema”, with the Japanese side preferring to showcase the broad and diverse range of Japanese films and the French side wishing to limit the scope to films that the French people had not seen before. In fact, what appeared to be a process of friction contributed to the deepening of mutual understanding between the artists and experts of the two countries, and a great gain was made in the strengthening of the ties and networks between them.
Coproduction in theater provided an important impetus for two-way exchange. For example, playwright Hideto Iwai, stayed for many months in an area heavily populated by immigrants in suburban Paris, and produced “WAREWARE NO MOROMORO” (OUR STORIES…) in collaboration with the local residents. This ambitious Japanese-French coproduction left a favorable impression on the French people who found it highly unique.
One thing we could have done better was the expansion of the project to areas outside Paris. There were limitations regarding the length of periods for sending the artists and works of art and also the difficulty of establishing the administrative bases in various localities. Notwithstanding these challenges, we are grateful that about one million people visited the exhibition from areas outside Paris.
The important thing is not to let this exhibition pass as a one-time big firework. We do hope to build on this experience as a model, and carry its resonance to other parts of the world.
Hiroyasu Ando is the President of the Japan Foundation and served as the Secretary General of Japonismes 2018.
There is no doubt that Japanese art and culture excel in quality and attract a high degree of interest from overseas. Regrettably, however, Japan is still lagging behind in projecting these assets to people abroad. We therefore put in a lot of preparation time and a large budget, amounting to nearly \ 4 billion, to stage this exhibition, on the largest scale ever of Japanese cultural festivals held abroad.
We focused not so much on the quantity or number of the programs as on the quality, and took care to have first class works of art in the caliber of national treasurers as well as artists who represented the highest levels of Japanese art. In terms of content, we covered a full range from traditional to contemporary art and culture, and widened the scope so that not just the experts but also the young and those visiting with their families could have a good time. As a result, Mr. Jack Lang, former minister of culture known for his rich experience and erudition in the filed of art, praised the exhibition as “Superb! Admirable! Magnificent!” Mr. Louis Schweitzer, former chairman of Renault, who acted as the special representative of the Foreign Minister, commented that the exhibition had a positive impact on the whole range of Japanese-French relations, not just cultural, but also diplomatic, economic and other aspects.
There was practically no negative reaction from the French media, which tends normally to be somewhat caustic. Instead, such favorable responses were seen as “You see Japan every where” or “Japan showed a strong presence, and the programs were of impressively high quality.”
To explain the background, the Japanese Prime Minister and the French President agreed to hold this series of events in commemoration of the 160th anniversary of Japan-France friendship. The joint committee comprising high officials of the two governments met more than ten times to prepare for the project. In the course of the exhibition, Crown Prince Naruhito, Prime Minister Abe, Foreign Minister Kono and other Japanese dignitaries visited France and saw a number of the programs. The private sectors of both Japan and France extended generous cooperation including funding.
Above all, the success of the project was largely attributable to the choice of France as the venue country. Among the countries of the world, France has the highest level of art and culture and, in particular, has deep interest in and understanding of Japanese culture.
But even in France, understanding of Japanese culture was not quite enough in certain aspects. In a number of instances, difficulties arose as programs proposed with confidence by the Japanese side were deemed by the French side to be lacking in familiarity to the French people. Such was the case with the Jakuchū exhibition, which attracted a phenomenal crowd of 75,000 viewers in a month. Initially, the reaction was unenthusiastic in many quarters where it was said that Jakuchū had never been heard of. As it turned out, it was a resounding success with long queues of people at Petit Palais Museum.
Because of the differences in perspective between the Japanese and French sides, intense debates often took place on the selection of the works to be exhibited as well as the manner of exhibition. For example, it took nearly two years to select the 119 films to be shown on the program “100 years of Japanese cinema”, with the Japanese side preferring to showcase the broad and diverse range of Japanese films and the French side wishing to limit the scope to films that the French people had not seen before. In fact, what appeared to be a process of friction contributed to the deepening of mutual understanding between the artists and experts of the two countries, and a great gain was made in the strengthening of the ties and networks between them.
Coproduction in theater provided an important impetus for two-way exchange. For example, playwright Hideto Iwai, stayed for many months in an area heavily populated by immigrants in suburban Paris, and produced “WAREWARE NO MOROMORO” (OUR STORIES…) in collaboration with the local residents. This ambitious Japanese-French coproduction left a favorable impression on the French people who found it highly unique.
One thing we could have done better was the expansion of the project to areas outside Paris. There were limitations regarding the length of periods for sending the artists and works of art and also the difficulty of establishing the administrative bases in various localities. Notwithstanding these challenges, we are grateful that about one million people visited the exhibition from areas outside Paris.
The important thing is not to let this exhibition pass as a one-time big firework. We do hope to build on this experience as a model, and carry its resonance to other parts of the world.
Hiroyasu Ando is the President of the Japan Foundation and served as the Secretary General of Japonismes 2018.
The English-Speaking Union of Japan
ジャポニスム２０１８：魂の触れあい
安藤 裕康 / 国際交流基金理事長
2019年 5月 30日
２０１８年７月から８か月にわたりフランスで開催された日本文化の紹介行事「ジャポニスム２０１８」(https://japonismes.org/)は、約３５０万人の来場者を記録し、フランス人の間で高い評価を得た。
日本の芸術文化の質は間違いなく優れているし、海外での関心も高い。しかし残念ながら、日本からの発信はまだ不十分だ。そこで今回の試みは、準備期間をたっぷりかけ、多額の予算（約４０億円弱）を投入して、これまでに海外で開催された日本文化フェスティバルとしては最大規模で実施したのである。
留意したのは、企画の数というよりその質であり、一流の国宝級の美術品や、日本を代表するアーティストたちを送り込むよう心掛けた。また内容的にも伝統から現代までを網羅し、専門家だけでなく若者や家族連れも楽しめるような幅広いものとした。その結果、芸術に高い見識を持つ元文化大臣のジャック・ラング氏から「最高！お見事！素晴らしい！」とお褒めの言葉を頂いたし、外務大臣特別代表を務めたルイ・シュベツェール・ルノー元会長からは、「文化関係のみならず、外交や経済など日仏関係全般に好影響をもたらした」とのコメントも頂いた。
普段は手厳しいフランス・メディアからも、否定的な反応は皆無に近く、「どちらを向いても日本だらけ」「日本は強い存在感を示しており、各企画の質の高さは印象的だ」などと好意的に迎えられた。
そもそもこの行事は、日仏友好１６０年を記念すべく、両国首脳の合意によって決定されたものであり、両国政府のハイレベルの関係者から成る合同委員会が１０回以上も会合して準備にあたった。開催期間中、日本から皇太子殿下、安倍総理大臣、河野外務大臣などの要人が次々に訪仏され、いくつかの企画を視察して頂いた。両国の民間からも、資金面を含め多大の協力を得ることができた。
何よりも、実施国としてフランスを選んだことが成功につながったと思う。世界の中でもフランスは最高の芸術・文化の国と言えるし、特に日本文化に対し、深い関心と理解を有しているからである。
だがそのフランスでさえも、まだ日本文化への理解が浅い面もあった。こちらが自信を持って持ち込んだ企画でも、馴染みが薄いと言って難色を示され苦労することが多々あった。たとえば、１か月で７万５千人の来場者を集めて話題を呼んだ若冲展も、当初は「若冲なんて聞いたこともない」とあちこちで敬遠されたが、結果的にはプチパレ美術館に長蛇の列ができる成功となった。
日仏双方の視点の相違から、個々の作品の選定や陳列方法について激論を交わすこともしばしばだった。日本映画の１００年を振り返る企画も、多様な日本映画を広く網羅したいとする日本側と、フランス人がまだ見たことがない作品に限定したいとする仏側との折り合いがつかず、１１９本の上映作品を選ぶのに２年近くを要した。しかしながら、そういう摩擦の過程を通じて、両国のアーティスト・専門家の間の相互理解がむしろ深まり、絆とネットワークの強化につながったことは大きな収穫だった。
舞台芸術の分野で共同制作が行われたことも、双方向の交流へ向けた重要なきっかけとなった。たとえば劇作家の岩井秀人氏はパリ郊外の移民が多く住む地区に長期滞在し、現地の人々と一緒に『ワレワレのモロモロ』を作り上げた。この意欲的な日仏合作は、きわめてユニークだとフランス人たちの間で好評だった。
反省点があるとすれば、パリ以外の地方への展開が手薄になったことだろう。アーティストや作品の派遣期間の制約や、現地事務体制設置の難しさが理由だ。それでも、地方の方々約１００万人に来場いただいたことに感謝している。
大切なのは、今回の行事を１回限りの花火に終わらせないことだ。この経験をモデルケースとして、同じような行事が世界中に広がっていければいいなと考えている。
筆者は国際交流基金理事長、ジャポニスム２０１８事務総長
日本の芸術文化の質は間違いなく優れているし、海外での関心も高い。しかし残念ながら、日本からの発信はまだ不十分だ。そこで今回の試みは、準備期間をたっぷりかけ、多額の予算（約４０億円弱）を投入して、これまでに海外で開催された日本文化フェスティバルとしては最大規模で実施したのである。
留意したのは、企画の数というよりその質であり、一流の国宝級の美術品や、日本を代表するアーティストたちを送り込むよう心掛けた。また内容的にも伝統から現代までを網羅し、専門家だけでなく若者や家族連れも楽しめるような幅広いものとした。その結果、芸術に高い見識を持つ元文化大臣のジャック・ラング氏から「最高！お見事！素晴らしい！」とお褒めの言葉を頂いたし、外務大臣特別代表を務めたルイ・シュベツェール・ルノー元会長からは、「文化関係のみならず、外交や経済など日仏関係全般に好影響をもたらした」とのコメントも頂いた。
普段は手厳しいフランス・メディアからも、否定的な反応は皆無に近く、「どちらを向いても日本だらけ」「日本は強い存在感を示しており、各企画の質の高さは印象的だ」などと好意的に迎えられた。
そもそもこの行事は、日仏友好１６０年を記念すべく、両国首脳の合意によって決定されたものであり、両国政府のハイレベルの関係者から成る合同委員会が１０回以上も会合して準備にあたった。開催期間中、日本から皇太子殿下、安倍総理大臣、河野外務大臣などの要人が次々に訪仏され、いくつかの企画を視察して頂いた。両国の民間からも、資金面を含め多大の協力を得ることができた。
何よりも、実施国としてフランスを選んだことが成功につながったと思う。世界の中でもフランスは最高の芸術・文化の国と言えるし、特に日本文化に対し、深い関心と理解を有しているからである。
だがそのフランスでさえも、まだ日本文化への理解が浅い面もあった。こちらが自信を持って持ち込んだ企画でも、馴染みが薄いと言って難色を示され苦労することが多々あった。たとえば、１か月で７万５千人の来場者を集めて話題を呼んだ若冲展も、当初は「若冲なんて聞いたこともない」とあちこちで敬遠されたが、結果的にはプチパレ美術館に長蛇の列ができる成功となった。
日仏双方の視点の相違から、個々の作品の選定や陳列方法について激論を交わすこともしばしばだった。日本映画の１００年を振り返る企画も、多様な日本映画を広く網羅したいとする日本側と、フランス人がまだ見たことがない作品に限定したいとする仏側との折り合いがつかず、１１９本の上映作品を選ぶのに２年近くを要した。しかしながら、そういう摩擦の過程を通じて、両国のアーティスト・専門家の間の相互理解がむしろ深まり、絆とネットワークの強化につながったことは大きな収穫だった。
舞台芸術の分野で共同制作が行われたことも、双方向の交流へ向けた重要なきっかけとなった。たとえば劇作家の岩井秀人氏はパリ郊外の移民が多く住む地区に長期滞在し、現地の人々と一緒に『ワレワレのモロモロ』を作り上げた。この意欲的な日仏合作は、きわめてユニークだとフランス人たちの間で好評だった。
反省点があるとすれば、パリ以外の地方への展開が手薄になったことだろう。アーティストや作品の派遣期間の制約や、現地事務体制設置の難しさが理由だ。それでも、地方の方々約１００万人に来場いただいたことに感謝している。
大切なのは、今回の行事を１回限りの花火に終わらせないことだ。この経験をモデルケースとして、同じような行事が世界中に広がっていければいいなと考えている。
筆者は国際交流基金理事長、ジャポニスム２０１８事務総長
一般社団法人 日本英語交流連盟