Fukuoka Asian Art Museum, Asian art museum in Hakata-ku, Fukuoka, Japan
The Fukuoka Asian Art Museum is an art museum in Hakata-ku, Fukuoka, dedicated entirely to modern and contemporary art from Asian countries and regions. It occupies the 7th and 8th floors of the Riverain complex along the Naka River, with both a permanent collection and rotating temporary exhibitions.
The museum opened in 1999 as the first institution in the world to focus specifically on collecting modern art from across Asia. At the time, contemporary Asian art received little attention from institutions outside the region, which made this a rare initiative.
The museum brings together artists from countries as different as India, Bangladesh, and South Korea, making it easy to notice how varied artistic expression across Asia can be. The temporary exhibition rooms often show work that mixes local visual traditions with approaches familiar from contemporary art scenes elsewhere.
The museum occupies the 7th and 8th floors of the Hakata Riverain complex at 3-1 Shimokawabata-machi, reached directly from Nakasu Kawabata Station on the Airport and Hakozaki subway lines; the Nishitetsu bus stops Kawabata-machi and Hakataza-mae are also steps away. The permanent collection and temporary exhibitions sit on separate floors, so allow time for both.
The museum runs a library open to all visitors that focuses specifically on modern and contemporary Asian art, which is a resource rarely found outside universities or specialized research centers. Anyone curious about a particular artist or country can browse books and catalogues there during the visit.
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