Twentith Century Art Museum

NEW ART MEETS OLD TOWN

The 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art is an innovative facility in central Kanazawa which houses several galleries of modern art as well as a library, café, and communal learning spaces. The building itself is celebrated for its unique exterior design and internal layout, and is now one of Kanazawa’s most popular tourist attractions.

Kanazawa’s 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art opened in 2004 and was designed by two famous Japanese architects: Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa of the SANAA architecture studio. They created a low-lying and expansive, white, circular building that looks very much like a giant space ship that has landed quite neatly on the grass lawn that surrounds it. The museum has no main entrance and can be entered from all sides. This accessibility is emphasized by the glass walls that surround the museum’s exterior and which flood the galleries with natural light. Inside the museum many galleries are arranged in a puzzling maze of interconnecting rooms, which encourages a playful sense of exploration and discovery.

The museum has permanent installations and temporary exhibitions that display both Japanese and international contemporary artworks.

The art is conceptual but fun and encourages physical interaction, making the museum feel very relaxed and rather like a giant playground. For this reason many families with children visit the museum, and it is not unusual to see people laughing and smiling as they wander through the galleries.The museum’s ticket counter is located on the east side of the building by the Honda-Dori Entrance.

The 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art is centrally located and very close to Kenrokuen Garden and Kanazawa Castle Park.

From Kenrokuen you can walk to the museum in 6 minutes and from the castle you can walk there in 10 minutes. From Kanazawa Station it is a 20 minute bus ride. The Kanazawa Loop Bus leaves every few minutes from bus terminal 7 at the station’s East Exit and costs 200 yen.