Ōita Art Museum, Art museum in Ōita, Japan.
The Ōita Art Museum is an art museum in the city of Ōita, Japan, holding a collection of over 3,000 works inside a contemporary building at the edge of Uenogaoka Park. The interior opens toward the park at several points, letting natural light into the galleries and making the boundary between inside and outside feel soft.
The museum opened in 1999, designed by architect Shozo Uchii, and was recognized internationally for its architecture from the start. It was one of the first art museums in Japan to be so closely tied to an urban park through its design.
The collection features works by Chikuden Tanomura, a painter from the Edo period known for his bungo nanga style of landscape painting. His works show how Eastern painting traditions and personal artistic expression can come together on a single canvas.
The museum sits inside Uenogaoka Park and can be reached on foot from Ōita Station's north exit, roughly a 30-minute walk at a comfortable pace. It is worth allowing extra time to also walk around the park grounds surrounding the building.
A sculpture of an elephant standing about 20 feet (6 meters) tall greets visitors at the entrance and has no direct connection to the art inside. It was made by sculptor Norio Imai and has become the first landmark many visitors look for when approaching through the park.
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