In Japan, Newspapers Don’t Just Cover Exhibitions, They Present Them

“Media involvement in art exhibitions began in Japan in the 1920s, when the country didn’t really have so many museums… The newspaper companies would send people overseas, where they would liaise with foreign salons and institutions, borrow works and bring them back for shows in venues ranging from department stores to private halls. By the time dedicated public museums appeared here – mostly after World War II – the newspaper companies had a monopoly on the networks and knowhow.”