Yuko Hasegawa delivers instructions to her staff in an even, polite manner that often belies the burden they impose. It's a style perhaps more suited to a corporate boardroom than an art museum. But, since she took over as chief curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo (MOT), in April last year, it has been Hasegawa's businesslike efficiency that has proven most essential to her success.
Hasegawa ultimately answers to Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara, and since about 2000 he has made a concerted and often controversial effort to introduce economic rationalism to the city's museums. From the outset, the MOT was a key target. Citing its tendency toward academic exhibitions — which he dubbed "mental masturbation" on the part of curators — Ishihara made sweeping reforms: reducing its acquisition budget to zero; slashing its annual operating budget (in 2000 it was down to half the ¥2.1 billion it opened with in 1995); installing managers from the world of business in its director post; cutting staff (by 2006 they were down to 13 curators, from 21 in 1995); and, introducing a series of sure-fire, corporate-backed exhibitions showcasing everything from Maseratis and Ferraris to Ghibli anime and Disney.
"MOT came to symbolize what was known in the art world as the 'winter years,' " said Hasegawa, referring to similar, though less extreme, ructions at other public museums.