The main building of Tokyo's National Museum of Western Art was completed in March 1959. Designed by Le Corbusier, it marked renewed cultural ties between Japan and France after the war. The museum opened to house the Matsukata Collection returned by the French government, placing Western painting and sculpture within the public landscape of Ueno Park.
Junzo Sakakura, Kunio Maekawa and Takamasa Yoshizaka supervised the realization of the reinforced-concrete building. Its raised volume, central spaces and circulation relate to Le Corbusier's experiments with a museum capable of growth. The compact exterior is part of a broader composition that includes the forecourt, sculpture and the visitor's approach from the park.
The original approach entered from the west and turned toward the building, following lines in the paving. Restoration completed in 2022 recovered this arrangement as closely as possible, including the placement of sculptures and the proportions of paving joints. The forecourt helps explain the museum's design: the encounter with art begins outside, where routes, views and an open civic space prepare the entrance.
Le Corbusier Visual Arts Center, Cambridge
