Naoshima New Museum of Art are by Tadao Ando – All photos are by ©︎ Tadao Ando Architect & Associates.
Architecture. Tadao Ando is set to complete the Naoshima New Museum of Art, marking his tenth architectural project for the Benesse Art Site Naoshima in Japan. Perched on a hilltop close to the Honmura district, the museum will showcase and build a collection of significant works featuring newly commissioned, site-specific pieces by artists and collectives from Asia.
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The new three-story museum, designed with a large sloped roof that echoes its hilltop setting, has two underground floors and one at ground level. A staircase extends down from the ground level to the underground floors, flooded with natural light from a skylight above. Four galleries for permanent and temporary exhibitions flank the staircase on either side. The northern part of the ground floor features a café, providing a serene view of Teshima Island and the comings and goings of fishing boats, emblematic of the Seto Inland Sea.
The museum’s exterior will showcase black plaster walls that evoke burned cedar alongside stacked pebble walls that harmonise with the Honmura area’s landscape. The architecture and approach to the entrance aim to immerse visitors in the history of Naoshima and the lives of its people.
The museum was commissioned by the Fukutake Foundation. “For me, the Naoshima New Museum of Art is the culmination of what I have done over the past thirty-five years.” Explained Fukutake Soichiro, Honorary Chairman, Fukutake Foundation. “It is my hope that the new museum will symbolise a bright future by contributing to the formation of happy communities.”
The museum will connect with current art facilities on the island, emphasising its contribution to revitalising the local community by collaborating with residents and enhancing the balance between art, architecture, nature, and community.
Images of the Naoshima New Museum of Art are by ©︎ Tadao Ando Architect & Associates.
