The collection of Japanese art compiled by Viktor and Marianne Langen has its origins in the 1960s when Viktor Langen`s interest in Japanese art was aroused during a business trip to Japan. Over the decades, the married couple built a collection to which a private museum in the Swiss town Ascona was devoted until 2004. With around 350 works of art, the collection offers insight into the diversity of Japanese art from the twelfth to the twentieth century. In terms of scope and quality, it is considered unique among European private collections. The current presentation of scroll paintings and screens is dedicated to Japanese painting as one of the collection`s main points of focus. The broad spectrum includes court paintings from the Kanô school and examples from the Rimpa school, but also pieces by renowned artists like Maruyama Ôkyo (1733-1795) and nineteenth century genre paintings.