Two Flemish masterpieces reunited in Tokyo

From October 25, 2025, to May 10, 2026, the National Museum of Western Art in Tokyo hosts a refined and focused exhibition that reunites two precious Flemish paintings from the early sixteenth century, originally part of a single narrative ensemble that was later dispersed. Titled Two Flemish Paintings from Tokyo and Bruges Reunited, the show offers Japanese audiences a rare opportunity to see two panels painted by an anonymous Flemish Master around 1525, depicting episodes from the life of Saint James the Greater, brought together for the first time in over a century. The first panel, on loan from the Groeningemuseum in Bruges, depicts The Calling of Saint James the Greater and Saint John the Evangelist. The artist captures the moment in which Christ invites the two brothers, both fishermen, to follow him. The scene is marked by vivid colours, intricate costume details, and a riverine landscape in the background, all typical of Flemish painting of the period. The second work, held in the permanent collection of the Tokyo museum and once part of the Matsukata Collection, presents a series of episodes from the life of Saint James, likely inspired by the Golden Legend. It includes scenes of miracles, preaching, and martyrdom, all contained within a single panel featuring a rich and complex narrative structure. This exhibition is a rare exercise in visual philology. With just two works on display, the curators aim to reconstruct, at least in part, the original intent of a devotional altarpiece now divided between continents. Beyond their historical and artistic significance, the two paintings also speak to the global circulation of European artworks: the panel now in Tokyo was purchased by Kōjirō Matsukata in the early twentieth century, as part of his ambitious effort to build a public collection of Western art in Japan. Nearly a century later, the exhibition symbolically restores a lost dialogue, allowing viewers to imagine the narrative and devotional unity of the original ensemble.