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Born in Chiba Prefecture, Japan in 1979, Kankuro Ueshima founded his own company while studying at the University of Tokyo. Today, his business portfolio and investments include engineering, pharmaceutical, real estate and construction companies. He is the founder of the Ueshima Museum Collection.
I spent about 80 percent of my time on art in the last two years. I traveled to all the major art fairs in Basel, Hong Kong, Seoul, New York, London and Paris. I closely followed most of the contemporary art auctions of the major auction houses. I go to galleries or museums every day and do research by reading PDFs and visiting the artists’ websites and Instagram accounts. I have literally bought artwork every day. In 2022 alone I bought 500 pieces, in 2023 150 pieces and so far this year 40 works.
My collecting journey started in 2016. That year, I bought about 20 pieces of art just to decorate the walls in my house and office. Six years later, my business expanded dramatically. I had more offices and more walls to decorate. So I thought: why don’t I start collecting art?
Installation view of the Ueshima Museum in Tokyo. Courtesy of the Ueshima Museum.
I turned to my old friend Kyoko Hattori, who was then Phillips’ regional director in Japan. (Hattori is currently at Pace and is leading the gallery’s Tokyo expansion.) I asked her what it was like to collect art while we played golf together. She advised me to first check the social media accounts of all the major galleries and see what they were offering.
I followed their advice and looked at all the artworks that these galleries were selling and learned a lot about contemporary art. Bernard Frize’s canvas work Bitje (2019) that I bought at Perrotin was the first piece I acquired when I started this collecting journey. My focus is on contemporary art, that is, works by living artists. There are the occasional masterpiece, but I really want to know how these great artists view the current environment and social situation, and from their observations we try to glimpse into the future.
When I started collecting art, I had many opportunities to speak with artists and gallery owners. I learned that one of their biggest concerns is that most works can only be viewed privately after they are sold, either by the owners themselves or on private tours of the warehouses where they are kept before being resold to other people. This is a global problem, but in Japan it is particularly problematic.
Installation view of the Ueshima Museum in Tokyo. Courtesy of the Ueshima Museum.
I wanted to help change this situation, so I developed a passion to make my collection available to the public so that everyone can see the artworks. That’s why I show them on my Instagram and my website, where you can find very detailed descriptions of each artwork in Japanese, English and Chinese. I also try to find ways to present my collection to the public in innovative ways. For example, last year I presented a selection from my collection at Art Collaboration Kyoto and Phillips.
I continued to look for more places and opportunities to display my collection. Then about a year ago, I found out that a building on the grounds of Shibuya Kyoiku Gakuen, my alma mater, was empty. There are great institutions in Tokyo, but few focus on contemporary art. I called the owner of the school and asked if I could use the building as a museum and my office. I got the green light to rent the building and turn it into a museum. The Ueshima Museum opened to the public on June 1. I am now discussing with the school possible educational initiatives for the middle and high school students there. Now my collection is the museum’s collection.
Installation view of the Ueshima Museum in Tokyo. Courtesy of the Ueshima Museum.
The collection is very diverse and includes artists from all over the world. When I buy a piece of art, I don’t think about the nationality or gender of the artist. Although the collection includes some well-known artists, I also want to find opportunities for emerging artists from Japan. There are some very good emerging Japanese artists, but they are underexposed. I want to introduce them to collectors around the world and give them more opportunities.
Also, some Japanese artists from older generations who are very well known here don’t get the recognition they deserve on the world stage. One example is Yoko Matsumoto. She is an 88-year-old painter who was recently picked up by White Cube and has exhibited her work in London and New York. I feel like there is a global movement for Japanese artists right now and I want to be part of it.
Recently, at Art Basel in Basel, I was told that Japanese collectors have been quite present this year. In fact, many young, successful entrepreneurs in their thirties or forties are very open to contemporary art, and I am often asked how to start collecting art. Many people think that the Japanese yen is weak and this might affect people’s desire to spend money on art. In fact, the Japanese stock market was at its all-time high last year. This has cushioned the impact of the weak Japanese yen. People are willing to collect art.
I really want more people to study art, buy art and display it at home or in the office. You don’t have to build a huge collection. Start by buying one piece of art. Every purchase is important to the Japanese art scene.
—Vivienne Chow tells
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