Atsuko Sagara & Noriko Sagesaka, 'Sneak into the Art Museum!'

The difficulty and fascination of picture books.

I recently wrote a few articles about picture books featuring art museums, and I made several discoveries.

The medium of the picture book has many limitations. First, since the target age is low, you cannot use difficult technical terms, and the knowledge you can assume the reader has is limited. Furthermore, the amount of text is restricted. It is not the same as filling dozens or hundreds of pages with printed text. Deciding what to include and what to omit, and how deeply to delve into the chosen material, is extremely difficult. In the first place, the very purpose of art museums and museums is to expand and delve deep. Selecting, simplifying, and being concise is the exact opposite of that.

So, what do you do? That is where the unique characteristics of a picture book come out strongly. That is what I felt.

Don't hold back just because it's a picture book!

This book pretends to be a picture book, but it was a serious art museum book. While the main focus is on holding an exhibition, it even delves into the history of art museums, and the amount of information is enormous. I don't necessarily understand how much information a typical picture book contains, but I think the resolution of information in a book that casually mentions things like how specialized transport staff plan an exhibition is definitely different from a typical picture book.

The text is concise and easy to understand, but in that way, a new world appears in every sentence. Moreover, works of art from all times and places are casually hidden in the illustrations, which are the main part of the picture book, so it seems like you could never finish deciphering both the pictures and the text.

It's hard even when you narrow it down to one theme!

A picture book specialized in the protection and restoration of art objects. Moreover, it narrows its focus specifically to paper paintings. But even though it was narrowed down, the double-page spread was filled with rows of restoration tools and rows of insects that eat paper. I felt vividly the bottomless swamp of knowledge, where even if you avoid spreading out and focus on one part, it spreads out further beyond that point.

On the other hand, this picture book had a dramatic hook at the beginning where a painting is stolen. The work that was discovered was damaged during the theft. There is a solid story about how 'how is restoration performed?' is told while restoring it... or so it seems, but in the end, just when you think, 'Now I'm going to be a restorer! What will happen now?'...

The story didn't end neatly. But that is precisely why it became an expression that preservation and restoration are connected to the past, present, and future.

Is this actually the royal road for educational picture books?

This 'Sneak into the Art Museum!' is a selection of masterpieces from the Fukuinkan Shoten 'Many Wonders' series. It is a brand that even a single middle-aged man knows. I wonder if this is the royal road of royal roads for educational picture books.

For upper elementary school students. This educational picture book feels like that too. Since the readership is roughly between 'Harry Potter' and the 'Kaiketsu Zorori' series, perhaps it is better not to look at it with the image of a picture book. This book is also a story about a trio of clumsy-looking thieves who sneak into an art museum and walk around looking at various rooms. Compared to the two books I introduced earlier, it has a very straightforward structure, and it might have been better to read this one first.

Introduction.

A trio of thieves sneaking into an art museum building. The stylishness of the building and the green, park-like environment are wonderful, but the thieves, whose heads are full of treasure, don't notice. When they get anxious in the office or library, wondering, 'Is this really an art museum?', they arrive at the exhibition room. However, nothing is displayed, and there are only notes stuck on the walls here and there. Then a truck labeled 'Art Transport' arrives.

Development.

Various things leading up to the holding of an exhibition, such as how to plan, the state of delivery and setup, and facilities like air conditioning and security, are introduced with illustrated explanations on double-page spreads. 'There are 90 works, and the total width and spacing of the paintings is 150 meters. Therefore, we must build 150 meters of wall space.' 'The venue for this special exhibition is always kept at 23 degrees Celsius and 60% humidity.' The explanations written in are strangely specific and vivid.

Twist.

Following that, the staff are introduced, and it is interesting that every time a new staff member appears, flashy captions like 'The Pro of Reception!' or 'The Pro of Surveillance!' appear. The work of 'The Pro of Cleaning!' is also introduced, and it is explained in detail, such as 'We don't use vacuum cleaners in the exhibition room because they exhaust dust along with the air,' 'We don't use water in the exhibition room; we always dry wipe,' and 'We use towels made of glass fiber so that no lint flies around.'

Conclusion.

In the end, the exhibition is held safely, and the thieves, reflecting on how they couldn't do such bad things, are greeted by a smiling curator who says,
"Since you're here, please take a look around."
She is also the first staff member the thieves encounter, making her effectively the heroine. At one point, she puts a finger to her lips in a 'hush' gesture and says,
"I'll show you to a secret room. It's the storage area. Keep it a secret, even from thieves."
Could it be that everything was in the palm of her hand all along?

How is the 'public' supported?

The thieves, who had no interest in art or culture, become completely captivated by it. It should be a huge change, yet it happens so naturally and as if it were a matter of course. Even though nothing specific is said about individual artworks or art in general, where does this persuasiveness come from?

Perhaps it is because the figures of the people who cherish the place called the art museum are conveyed so clearly.

In addition to museums like the Hiratsuka Museum of Art, Setagaya Art Museum, Tokyo National Museum, and Meguro Museum of Art, the names of Yamato Transport and Nippon Express were also listed as those who cooperated with this book.

Just how many people are involved in delivering each of the things I see? This is not limited to art museums. It was a book that serves as an entry point for learning about the mechanisms of society, which also applies to various other infrastructures and services.

Personal note.

When I searched for the Hiratsuka Museum of Art, I also wanted to read a book by Natsuko Kusanagi, who served as its director. I heard she was also the director of the Yamatane Museum of Art. That's amazing.

This book in particular looked good, but it's out of stock...
I'm thinking about what to do.