The National Art Center, Tokyo (NACT)

For a journey into the essence of Renaissance art, look no further than this exhibition featuring more than 50 masterpieces from the world’s most celebrated museum. With paintings, sculptures, prints and decorative arts from the 15th to 16th centuries on show, the travelling display now hosted by the National Art Center explores how artists of the era revived the classical ideals of ancient Greece and Rome to create a new, human-centered vision of beauty, emotion and intellect. The highlight of the exhibition is Leonardo da Vinci’s Portrait of a Woman, known as La Belle Ferronnière – a masterpiece making its first-ever appearance in Japan. With only about fifteen paintings by Leonardo surviving worldwide, the work represents one of the Louvre’s greatest treasures. Its subtle depiction of expression and psychological depth embodies the Renaissance pursuit of capturing both physical form and inner life. Through renowned works by Leonardo and his contemporaries, visitors get to witness how the Renaissance redefined artistic representation and reshaped European culture. A collaboration between the Louvre and Nippon Television Network, ‘Masterpieces of the Renaissance’ offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience the rebirth of art that continues to inspire the modern imagination.