The Pola Art Foundation was established in May 1996 by private funding from Suzuki Tsuneshi (1930-2000), then owner of the Pola Orbis Group with the cooperation of the individual Pola Orbis Group companies. The Foundation's aim is to contribute to art and culture.

Since its establishment in 1929, the Pola Orbis Group have worked for human beauty and human adornment, putting their greatest effort into achieving the highest forms of beauty. Suzuki Tsuneshi firmly believed that "internal beauty is important, and no matter how great the external beauty, if it is not backed by internal beauty, it is worthless." Thus Suzuki was renowned for his deep respect for the arts as an important aspect of his life work. He established the Pola Art Foundation in order to present beauty from the interior, enriched by the heart's greatness, to as many people as possible.

This Foundation works to spread the field of the arts so that more people can become familiar with art. Its main activities are the support of young artists, research by museum staff members, and support of activities related to international exchange in the field of art. In addition to these funding activities, the Foundation also opened the Pola Museum of Art to conserve and display the art works acquired by Suzuki and the Pola Orbis Group.

Through the actualization and continuance of these two important cultural endeavors, funding subsidies and art museum operation, the Foundation seeks to contribute to the improvement and development of culture in Japan.

Establishment: May 22, 1996

Chairman of board of directors:
Suzuki Satoshi(President, Pola Orbis Holdings, Inc.)

【Pola Art Foundation】
2-2-3 Nishi-Gotanda, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 141-8523　Japan
Telephone: +81-3-3494-8237 Facsimile: +81-3-3493-6293
e-mail：info@pola-art-foundation.jp
http://www.pola-art-foundation.jp

1）Grants for Overseas Study by Young Artists

2）Grants for Overseas Study Exhibition

3）Research Grants for Art Museum Curatorial Staff Members

4）Grants in Support of Art-Related International Exchange

5）Management of Art Museum

6）Research and Conservation, Exhibitions of the Collections

7）Funding of Other Projects Aimed at Achieving Foundation Objectives

1) Fellowships and Research Grants

Fellowships (annual application process: Applications submitted between October and early November, decisions made in early March)

The Foundation solicits applications from members of the public active in the art field on a broad array of research activity themes. Through the assistance provided by the Foundation, the aim is to further educate and nurture talented artists, researchers, and museum staff and further heighten the specialized abilities of Japan's art world.

The research topics and activities supported by such funding are selected by a panel of leading specialists. Their decisions are based on thorough consideration of the unique qualities of the research subject along with the value of the subject and its contribution to the art world.

2) Pola Museum of Art

The Pola Museum of Art opened in September 2002 in Sengokuhara, Hakone. Based on the concept of "a symbiosis between Hakone's natural beauty and the works of art," the art museum structures utilize underground spaces that allow the buildings to sink into the surrounding forests.

The museum collection numbers more than 10,000 works assembled by the late Suzuki Tsuneshi, former owner of the Pola Orbis Group, over the course of more than 40 years. The core of the collection lies in the approximately 400 examples of 19th and 20th century Western painting by such artists as Monet, Renoir, C_zanne, Chagall and Picasso. The diverse range of the museum's holdings encompass everything from Japanese Western-style painting and Japanese-style painting to Oriental ceramics, modern Japanese ceramics, glass works, and cosmetic ustensils.

The Pola Museum of Art regularly displays works from the collection, presenting exhibitions focused on a variety of topics and from a variety of viewpoints. Further, the museum conducts educational activities, from lectures aimed at students and general visitors to gallery talks held during special exhibitions. Museum admission is free for primary and middle school students everyday, providing yet another opportunity for visitors to become more familiar with art.

【Pola Museum of Art, Pola Art Foundation】
1285 Kozukayama, Sengokuhara, Hakone-machi,
Ashigarashimo-gun, Kanagawa 250-0631 Japan
Telephone: +81-460-84-2111 Facsimile: +81-460-84-3108
e-mail：info@polamuseum.or.jp
http://www.polamuseum.or.jp