Volume 04, Number 08

Diversions
By Owen Schaefer

Never Mind the Mona Lisa

Oddly enough, the first thing the website for The Mind of Leonardo does is to remind us that in 1974, the Mona Lisa came to Tokyo—simultaneously implying that it won’t be back. But after putting up hype over The Da Vinci Code for the last two or three years, most of us may well have had enough of her sly mug, anyway.

The Mind of Leonardo exhibition comes to the Tokyo National Museum from Florence, where the Uffizi Gallery displayed this incredible collection of the man’s works for over a million visitors. It is touted as the culmination of the most current Da Vinci studies, (which for most museums seems to mean “We need more multimedia presentations!”) but where it succeeds is in its breadth.

The sanctioned highlight of the show is Da Vinci’s Annunciation, his very first solo work as a commissioned artist at the tender age of 20, and recognized as only one of two works considered fully completed. It is a masterwork that is used to explore some of the themes and techniques that would become important to the artist’s later work, and one of the few large-scale paintings to make the journey to Japanese shores.

The Uffizi Gallery exhibition was divided into seven sections, only four of which are now in Tokyo. The three segments left behind consisted of works that you’re just going to have to go to Italy to see and have been replaced by a special section purporting to help Japanese viewers better get to know the man and his work. But what did arrive from Florence are other paintings, drawings, studies, pages from codices and even items from Da Vinci’s desk which give insights not only into his skill as an artist, but to the traditions of science he helped foster and develop that we now take to be common knowledge. Will the show lay bare the mind of a genius? Perhaps not, but it will certainly let you appreciate its significance.

The Mind of Leonardo (to Jun. 17) Tokyo National Museum. Ueno Station (JR, Metro). ¥1,500. 9:30am–5pm, closed Mon. Tel. 03-3822-1111. www.leonardo2007.jp

Magnum Opuses

The four founders of the Magnum photography cooperative came from different backgrounds with one thing in common. They were each tired of journalism as it stood at the end of World War II. Disillusioned with the growing tendencies of magazines to create the news and demand decorative pictures to match, Henri Cartie-Bresson, Robert Capa, David “Chim” Seymore and George Rodger came together to found a group that would free serious photographers to shoot subjects which interested them, and leave the magazines to chose what they wanted.

Magnum is globally respected as much for the high level of ethics it supports as it is for the quality of its photographers’ work. With more than half a century of work under its collective belts, it now has editorial offices in New York, London, Paris and, yes, Tokyo, boasting a collection of some of the most seminal moments in photographic history.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography exhibition entitled Tokyo Through the Eyes of Magnum Photographers celebrates the group’s 60th anniversary, and is divided into six sections, covering a decade apiece. There are 150 images here, by 38 of the agency’s photographers looking at Tokyo from the early 1950’s up to the present, from its people to its urban sprawl.

Tokyo Seen by Magnum Photographers (to May 6) Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography. Ebisu Metro Station. ¥1,000. 10am–6pm. (Thu. Fri. to 8pm.) Tel. 03-3280-0099. www.syabi.com

Russian Revisions

Don Quixote has traveled a long way indeed for he and his skinny horse to wash up on the shores of Japan. But the Bolshoi Ballet have been sending him around the world for several years now, and lovers of colorful and dramatic ballet productions will be glad to see this all-guns-blazing version of Don Quixote.

This performance is former Bolshoi ballet director Alexei Fadeyechev’s revision of composer Leon Minkus’ original Don Quixote. Fadeyechev helped to breathe new life into the ballet back in 1999, partly though a major editing and new choreography, and partly by keeping the tale light and comic. The dancing is big and the costumes colorful, but whether you are there for Cervantes’ famously delusional character, or just to see the guest dancers from Moscow, you’ll only have four days to take it in.

The New National Theatre production features its own cast, along with three visiting dancers from the Bolshoi. On Thursday and Saturday danseur noble Andrey Uvarov appears in the role of Basilio, the young barber in love with the beautiful—and therefore much sought after—Kitri (the wonderful Svetlana Zakharova). However, on Friday and Sunday, Denys Matviyenko takes up Basilio’s scissors.

Don Quixote (Jun. 28–Jul. 1) New National Theatre. Hatsudai Station (Keio Line). ¥1,500–¥9,450. Various times. Tel. 03-5351-3011. www.nntt.jac.go.jp

Listings:

Romeo and Juliet (May. 5) One day only for this ballet from choreographer Tetsutaro Shimizu. Bunkamura Orchard Hall. Shibuya Station (JR, Metro). ¥3,500–¥5,000. 11:30am and 3:30pm. Tel. 03-3477-3244. www.bunkamura.co.jp
Paris du monde entier: Artistes étrangers à Paris 1900–2005 (to May 7) Works from the Centre Pompidou of Paris as seen through the eyes of foreign artists. National Art Center Tokyo. Nogizaka Metro Station. ¥1,500. 10am–6pm. (to 8pm Fri., closed Tue.) Tel. 03-6812-9900. www.nact.jp
Atelier Bow-Wow: Practice of Lively Space (to May. 12) Architectural team seek to expand the concept of urban housing. Gallery-Ma. Nogizaka Metro Station. Free. 11am–6pm. (to 7pm Fri.) Closed Sun. & Mon. Tel. 03-3402-1010. www.toto.co.jp/gallerma
Bruno Taut: The Role of Art in Society (to May. 27) Overview of the German architects speculative and more concrete works. Watarium Museum. Gaienmae Metro Station. ¥1,000. 11am–7pm (Tue. to 9pm.) Closed Mon. Tel. 03-3402-3001. www.watarium.co.jp