The National Museum of Art, Osaka
César Pelli & Associates · Osaka, Japan · 2004
Almost the entire museum is underground, leaving a sculptural stainless-steel structure to mark its presence on Nakanoshima. César Pelli conceived the exposed form as an abstract, branching gateway while galleries descend beneath the plaza. The contrast between an expressive public marker and largely hidden exhibition spaces makes the museum an unusual case of dense urban cultural architecture.