Japan's art island — Tadao Ando concrete, Yayoi Kusama pumpkins, and museums buried in the earth
Naoshima is a small island in the Seto Inland Sea, transformed since 1992 from a neglected industrial backwater (copper smelting) into one of the world's most extraordinary art destinations. The Benesse Art Site Naoshima project brought in architect Tadao Ando to design the Chichu Art Museum — buried entirely underground to preserve the island's landscape — and the Benesse House Museum, a hotel/museum hybrid where guests sleep among permanent artworks. Yayoi Kusama's giant polka-dotted pumpkins on the pier are now iconic. The island's Art House Project has converted traditional buildings in H…
Naoshima was historically a fishing and salt-making island, then from the early 20th century home to a large copper smelter (still operating in the north of the island). In 1987, Soichiro Fukutake of Benesse Holdings began purchasing land on the island with a vision of creating a place where art, architecture, and nature coexisted. The first Benesse House opened in 1992, designed by Tadao Ando. The Chichu Art Museum opened in 2004, housing permanent installations by Claude Monet, Walter De Maria, and James Turrell in underground galleries where natural light is the primary illumination. Naosh…