National Museum of Western Art was designed by the Swiss architect Charles-Edouard Jeanneret-Gris (1887–1965), who is more popularly known as Le Corbusier. It is the only representative example of his work in the Far East; and the "New York Times" review of its opening suggested that the building itself presented an "artistic significance and beauty" which rivaled the paintings inside. The multi-story, reinforced concrete building was completed in March 1959 as a symbol of the resumption of diplomatic ties between Japan and France after World War II. The museum was built to house the collection of works gathered by the industrialist Matsukata Kojiro between 1920
Charles Murphy (architect) Charles Murphy (architect) Charles Francis Murphy (February 9, 1890 – May 22, 1985) was an American architect based in Chicago, Illinois. Born in Jersey City, New Jersey, Murphy was educated at the De La Salle Institute in Chicago. His first job was as a secretary, joining the offices of D.H. Burnham & Company in 1911 and he was steadily promoted to become personal secretary to the architect Ernest Graham. After Graham died in 1936, Murphy moved on to co-found the architectural practice Shaw, Naess & Murphy with Alfred P. Shaw and Sigurd E. Naess (1886 - 1970). Murphy had no