During the past 130 years or so following the Meiji Restoration, many industrialists are remembered not only for having made huge fortunes, but also for using part of their riches to amass collections of art.
Such collections were typically formed through the passion of an individual and so reflect a certain taste and personality. Following the death of a collector, the family heirs' lack of interest, coupled with tax concerns, has usually led to most major collections being either dispersed on the art market, or protected under the umbrella of a foundation that places them in a museum open to the public.
One of the most well-known of such organizations in Japan, the Ishibashi Foundation, is now celebrating its 50th anniversary with a special exhibition at its own Bridgestone Museum of Art in downtown Tokyo. The core of the collection was accumulated by Shojiro Ishibashi (1889-1976), founder of the tire-manufacturing Bridgestone Corporation, and was subsequently expanded by donations from other family members. The foundation is currently showing over 250 masterpieces selected from the more than 2,400 works of art that comprise the collection.