One of Japan’s key cultural landmarks, the Kyoto City Kyocera Museum of Art, originally built in the 1930s in the Imperial Crown Style architecture known as, is preparing to reopen to the public following a contemporary, yet respectful renovation by architects Jun Aoki and Tezzo Nishizawa
, its elegant façade, neoclassical symmetry and curved tile rooftop have been celebrated as a Kyoto landmark for more than eight decades. Now, Kyoto City Kyocera Museum of Art – formerly known as Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art – will soon begin a new chapter, with the completion of a three-year renovation by architects Jun Aoki and Tezzo Nishizawa.
Inside, the building’s original materials still shine, with expanses of rich marbling, original floor tiling and sweeping stone staircases, in shades of apricots, forest greens and creams. Yet contemporary touches create a lighter, more open feel throughout the museum, home to a 3,600-strong collection of Kyoto artworks, from Japanese-style Nihonga paintings to calligraphy.