The Manggha Museum of Japanese Art & Technology (to use its full name) has many hats - performance hall, Japanese cultural centre, Japanese cafe/bistro and museum promoting the cultural links between Poland and Japan. The exhibits not only bring Japanese culture to a Polish audience, but also highlight the cultural influence that Japan had on Polish artists in the 19th century, particularly Leon Wyczółkowski, Julian Fałat, Anna Bilińska, and Feliks Jasieński. Located on the Wisła riverbanks across from Wawel, the modern headquarters of this national institution was funded by legendary Polish film director Andrzej Wajda and his wife Krystyna Zachwatowicz upon receiving the Kyoto Prize in 1987. Opened in 1994, it became a home for the Japanese art collection of Feliks ‘Manggha’ Jasieński, the Polish art collector and connoisseur, and its exhibition spaces are filled with regularly changing displays of Japanese art, several of which are on at any given time (check their website for specifics).
2015 saw the opening of the adjacent 'Europe - Far East Gallery,' which was conceived as a space for fostering dialogue, openness and diversity, while also doubling the exhibition space available. A small shop on the ground floor offers some beautiful Japanese gifts, and the cafe terrace is a wonderful spot to relax in the summertime.
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