Nakanoshima Museum of Art, Osaka

The newest museum on the island of Nakanoshima took almost 40 years to complete. It was first conceived in 1983, with a proposal to set up an art institution to commemorate Osaka’s centenary celebration. The arduous undertaking paid off, as the Nakanoshima Museum of Art now holds one of Japan's most extensive and diverse collections of art, totalling around 6,000 pieces and counting. 

The jet-black, cube-like architecture makes for an imposing sight, with a cheeky ‘Ship’s Cat (Muse)’ sculpture by Kenji Yanabo standing guard at its doorsteps. Inside, the pristine space features picture windows overlooking the river and surrounding cityscape as well as lofty ceilings that lend themselves to large-scale exhibitions. Here you’ll find another captivating sculpture by Kenji Yanabo, titled ‘Giant Torayan’, whose height stretches across the museum’s top two floors.

The Nakanoshima Museum of Art owns a substantial collection of works by Yuzo Saeki (1898-1928), an Osaka-born painter known for his work in modernism, Fauvism and Expressionism. In fact, the museum’s primary focus is on modern and contemporary art related to Osaka and the surrounding Kansai region. This is supplemented by pieces from world-renowned names including Salvador Dalí, René Magritte and Jean-Michel Basquiat, as well as an impressive line-up of works in the fields of graphic and furniture design.