098Stories of exquisite artworks in the Keio Plaza Hotel Tokyo

Isamu Kenmochi, the legendary interior designer, who was the father of Japanese modern art, aimed to create ‘a hotel that embodies Japanese pride’, and oversaw the spatial design of the Keio Plaza Hotel Tokyo. Other prominent artists collaborated on the interior artwork, and these pieces continue to live on in every corner in the hotel.

Touko Shinoda (1913-2021) who passed away at the age of 107, was an abstract Japanese ink painter. She was known for her ingenuity, which came from her 70 years of experience as a painter. Keio Plaza Hotel Tokyo collected more than 20 of her avant-garde artworks. The ‘Musashino six-panel screen’ was one of our collections specially dedicated to the former French restaurant, Ambrosia, at the time of our opening. It can currently be viewed in the foyer on the fourth floor of the South Tower. Her other works can been seen in banquet halls, where visitors can explore their timeless abstract beauty on site.

Soichiro Tomioka (1922-1994) was known for his original pristine white paint called ‘Tomioka White’. Many of his snowy landscape artworks were drawn using different styles, such as lithography, oil painting and metal etching. One of his metal-etched works, called ‘Keio Plaza Hotel’, depicts the hotel on the bleak land of Musashino, This monotonous picture seemed a harbinger of upcoming urban development at the time. Mr. Tomioka also made a huge metal-etched artwork that covered an entire wall of the former Polar Star bar of the hotel. The hotel collected 15 of his black-and-white artworks and four of them can be seen in some suites and in the ‘Carillon’ guest waiting room on the fourth floor.

We have been treasuring this art since our opening. Be sure to pay attention to the art next time you visit the Keio Plaza Hotel Tokyo.