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Chichu Art Museum

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The Chichu Art Museum is a unique architectural site in Japan. Its name literally translates to "art museum in the earth."

地中の庭 2025
地中の庭 2025

The museum is located on the southern part of Naoshima island. This island is part of the Kagawa Prefecture. The building was designed by the architect Tadao Ando. It officially opened to the public on July 18, 2004. The museum serves as a way to rethink the relationship between people and nature. It is part of a larger project to create art interest in the area.

Most museums are built standing up on the surface of the land. The Chichu Art Museum is different because it is subterranean. This means it is built directly into the ground.

Chichu Art Museum Space of Fear Courtyard 2025
Chichu Art Museum Space of Fear Courtyard 2025

The design uses this underground position to control how light enters the space. Instead of using electric bulbs for everything, the museum uses natural light. The sunlight comes from above to illuminate the exhibits. Because the sun moves across the sky, the light changes throughout the day. This causes the art to look different at different viewing times. The building and the art exist in the same realm of light.

The museum is managed by the Fukutake Foundation. This foundation is a project of the Benesse Corporation. Soichiro Fukutake is the president of the Benesse Corporation. He also serves as the director of the museum facility. The museum is one of several sites in the area that generate tourism. These sites help people connect with art through physical experience. The museum aims to show how art and the environment can work together.

Visitors can see several types of permanent art installations. One artist is Claude Monet, who is famous for his paintings. The museum holds his "Water Lilies" series, which are oil paintings on canvas.

Monet Waterlilypond 1926
Monet Waterlilypond 1926

These works include "Water Lilies, Reflections of Weeping Willows" and "Water-Lily Pond." Some of these paintings are large, such as the diptych pieces. Another artist featured is James Turrell. He creates art using light. His works include "Afrum, Pale Blue," which uses a projector. He also uses fluorescent lights and neon tubes in pieces like "Open Field." He uses LED and xenon lamps for his work titled "Open Sky."

There is also a special installation by Walter De Maria. His work is titled "Time/Timeless/No Time," created in 2004. This piece is made from many different materials. It includes granite, mahogany, gold leaf, and concrete. These materials create a lasting presence within the museum. Each artist uses different methods to change how a viewer sees the world. Some use paint, while others use heavy stone or glowing light.

Between the ticket center and the main building lies the Chichu Garden. This garden is about 400 square meters in size.

Chichu Art Museum Space of Fear access 2025
Chichu Art Museum Space of Fear access 2025

It contains a massive variety of living things. There are approximately 150 types of plants in the garden. You can also find 40 kinds of trees there. There are almost 200 kinds of flowers growing in the area. Many of these plants are the same ones Claude Monet used in his paintings. Some of the water lilies in the ponds are the same types he loved.

Chichu Art Museum Cafe 2025
Chichu Art Museum Cafe 2025

The garden was designed using Monet's own designs and inspirations. This was done because Monet was an avid gardener. The goal of the Chichu Garden is to deepen a person's appreciation of Monet's work. By walking through the plants, visitors have a physical experience with the art. This connection helps people understand the paintings on a deeper level. The garden acts as a bridge between the natural world and the painted world. It connects the art on the walls to the life on the ground.

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File:Chichu Art Museum Space of Fear Courtyard 2025.jpg
Chichu Art Museum Space of Fear Courtyard 2025.jpg
File:Chichu Art Museum Space of Fear access 2025.jpg
Chichu Art Museum Space of Fear access 2025.jpg
File:Chichu Art Museum Cafe 2025.jpg
Chichu Art Museum Cafe 2025.jpg
File:Monet Waterlilypond 1926.jpg
Monet Waterlilypond 1926.jpg
File:地中の庭 2025.jpg
地中の庭 2025.jpg
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