With the opening of "The Romantic Tradition in British Painting, 1800-1950," The Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art seems set to take its place as an art institution of international standing.
Opened just 10 months ago, the Hyogo museum's 27,500 sq. meters of exhibition space makes it Japan's second-largest art venue, after the cavernous Tokyo Museum of Contemporary Art.
What's more, the museum, designed by renowned Osaka-based architect Tadao Ando, is arguably a work of art in its own right. Built at a cost of 30 billion yen, the complex features Ando's characteristic juxtaposition of thick concrete walling and inner, light-filled spaces.