National Museum of Art, Osaka

The National Museum of Art, Osaka is an almost entirely underground museum on Nakanoshima island, its presence marked above ground by a dramatic facade of curving steel tubes meant to evoke reeds swaying in the wind. Dedicated to modern and contemporary art, it holds works by leading Japanese and international artists and stages major temporary exhibitions in its subterranean galleries. Building underground protected the collection while preserving open space in a dense district. The bold entrance, lit at night, is a riverfront landmark.