May 16, 2014 - 1 min read

Replicas in Otsuka Museum of Art

Enjoy world masterpieces overlooking beautiful bridge!

By Takako Sakamoto

Community writer

Vairumati by Paul Gauguin. The original is in the Musée d'Orsay, France

Girl with a Pearl Earring by Jan Vermeer. The original is in the Mauritshuis, Netherlands

The Church at Auver-sur-Oise by Vincent van Gogh. The original is in the Musée d'Orsay, France

Grande Odalisque by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres. The original is exhibited in The Louvre in Paris

Monet's Nympheas reproduced here in the garden of Otsuka Museum of Art

Monet's Nympheas reproduced on the wall in the garden. As these ceramic boards are durable, these paintings can be displayed outdoors as well

Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli. The original is in the Uffizi Gallery, Italy

Last Supper (after restoration) by Leonardo da Vinci. The original is in the church, Santa Maria delle Grazie, in Italy

Maja Clothed by Goya. The original is in The Museo del Prado, Spain

Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I by Gustav Klimt. The original is in the Neue Galerie, New York

Family by Egon Schiele. The original is in the Österreichische Galerie Belvedere, Austria

Guernica by Pablo Picasso. The original is in the Museo Reina Sofía, Spain

In one of the most unexpected places stands one of the most unique museums in the world, the Otsuka Museum of Art in Naruto city, Tokushima. This museum, built by Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., is the second largest museum in Japan, and its uniqueness lies in the fact that all works of art exhibited there are reproductions. More than 1,000 western masterpieces have been truthfully reproduced by their state-of-the-art techniques on ceramic boards, which can last longer than 2,000 years. The concept of the museum is to provide opportunities for people in Japan to appreciate world masterpieces easily, as well as to help restore the original masterpieces when they are damaged (they can refer to the almost-genuine replicas). As they are all replicas, you can touch, smell, and take photos as much as you want! For details, please refer to my other article on the museum.