The Philosophy of the Chihiro Iwasaki Memorial Foundation

The Chihiro Iwasaki Memorial Foundation was established in 1976, when the family of picture book artist Chihiro Iwasaki (1918–1974) donated all her works as well as related materials following her death. In September 1977, the Chihiro Iwasaki Art Museum of Picture Books (currently the Chihiro Art Museum Tokyo) opened on the site where Chihiro lived and worked. Picture book illustrations are easy to get lost and scattered. The Museum thus regards them as a part of important cultural heritage of humankind, and has been working hard to collect, exhibit, preserve, and study them. In 1997, the Chihiro Art Museum Azumino opened its doors, where everybody can enjoy a permanent display of works by picture book artists from all over the world, along with Chihiro's works. As of June 2019, in addition to approximately 9,500 pieces of Chihiro’s works, the Museum’s Collection consists of more than 17,700 pieces created by 207 artists from 34 countries and regions.