The Subterranean Chichu Art Museum
The Chichu Art Museum is a structure built directly into a southern portion of the island of Naoshima in Kagawa Prefecture, Japan. Located at 3449-1 Naoshima, the facility exists beneath the landscape to maintain the natural topography of the area. It opened to the public on July 18, 2004, as a project of the Benesse Corporation. The museum remains under the administration of the Fukutake Foundation.
Designed by architect Tadao Ando, the museum occupies a space where the distinction between the earth and the built environment is intentionally blurred. The subterranean nature of the site dictates a specific relationship with the surrounding environment. It is a quiet presence on the island, integrated into the terrain rather than rising above it. This placement ensures that the architecture remains a part of the island's southern landscape.
Architecture and Design Philosophy
The structure is largely buried beneath the landscape of Naoshima to limit its visual impact on the surrounding scenery. This subterranean placement creates a sense of being within the earth, where the architecture is shaped by the presence of art and the movement of light. Geometric courts and precisely cut apertures allow natural light to be drawn into the underground galleries. This light is not static; it shifts throughout the day, altering the appearance of the exhibits as the sun moves across the sky.
The design relies on the interplay between concrete and daylight. By utilizing natural illumination, the spaces become active participants in the viewing experience. The light changes the perception of the rooms, ensuring that the encounter with the art is never identical from one hour to the next. This approach integrates the building into the topography of the island, maintaining a quiet presence within the environment.
Permanent Art Collections
The collection is anchored by the presence of Claude Monet’s Water Lilies series. The room housing these paintings was designed with specific attention to their dimensions and materials, ensuring the architecture responds to the art. Natural light illuminates the canvases, which are positioned to interact with the shifting sky. Outside, the Chichu Garden provides a botanical counterpart to the painted scenes, containing approximately 150 types of plants, 40 kinds of trees, and nearly 200 kinds of flowers.
Light and space are further explored through permanent installations by James Turrell and Walter De Maria. Turrell’s work focuses on the sensory perception of light through various mediums, including neon and LED. These installations challenge the boundaries of the interior space. Walter De Maria’s Time/Timeless/No Time (2004) occupies a dedicated space, utilizing granite, mahogany, and gold leaf to create a specific atmosphere within the subterranean structure.
- Afrum, Pale Blue (1968)
- Open Field (2000)
- Open Sky (2004)
Masterpieces of the Collection
The presence of Claude Monet’s Water Lilies (1914–1917) relies upon the specific movement of natural light across the canvas. This light interacts with the marble-tiled floor, which reflects the imagery like water. Nearby, Water Lilies, Reflections of Weeping Willows (1916–1919) and Water-Lily Pond (1917–1919) exist within this controlled environment. A diptych titled Water-Lily Pond (c.1915–1926) also occupies the space, offering a different scale of the aquatic subject.
The collection extends into the realm of light and geometry. James Turrell’s Blue Planet Sky is held within the permanent collection, inviting a focus on the sky itself. In another space, Walter De Maria’s installation presents a large sphere alongside gilded geometric elements. These works exist in a dialogue with the architecture, where the light changes the perception of the objects throughout the day.
