[Image: Robert Doisneau "Yves Saint Laurent" (1964) ©Atelier Robert Doisneau / Contact]

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The museum was founded on November 25, 1973, to house and exhibit the work of Bernard Buffet, a French painter who represented the postwar world of figurative painting. Today, the museum's collection includes over 2,000 works, including oil paintings, watercolors, drawings, prints, illustrated books, and posters, with more than 100 works by Buffet on display at any given time. In addition to a special exhibition of Buffet's works that changes approximately every year, the museum holds special exhibitions of works by various artists and themes as needed. Visitors can also enjoy a café, museum store, and a stroll in the adjacent nature park.

Bernard Buffet (1928-1999) is a painter whose black lines and restrained colors depicted a sense of anxiety and emptiness after World War II that resonated with people around the world. His depictions of people without any pretense were seen as the embodiment of Sartre's existentialism and Camus' idea of absurdity, which greatly influenced the youth of that time, and caused the Buffet whirlwind to take off. He was introduced to Japan early on, and his unique expression of lines has made a strong impression on many people. Now, in addition to longtime Buffet fans, the younger generation, unfamiliar with the "Buffet whirlwind" of that time, is coming into contact with his work and being fascinated by his one-of-a-kind expression.

Robert Doisneau and Portraits of the Age