[Aomori] Aomori Museum of Art: Home to a large collection of works by artists from Aomori Prefecture, including Shiko Munakata, Shuji Terayama, and Yoshitomo Nara!

Aomori's most famous tourist attraction

The Aomori Museum of Art, which opened in July 2006, is known locally as "Kenbi" (Prefectural Art). Located next to the Sannai-Maruyama ruins, its architectural design incorporates many elements inspired by the excavation site

Photo by Photocon Japan – Aomori Museum of Art (2014) / Size-adapted.

The building has two floors above ground and two below, and like an excavation site, large geometric cuts have been made into the ground, which are then covered with white-painted bricks. Huge irregularities have been created in the ground and bricks, and within the bricks is a pure white exhibition space known as a "white cube," while the gaps created by the irregularities in the ground create an "earth" exhibition room where the soil is exposed. As parts of the earth walls are demolished and rebuilt for each exhibition, it is expected that a patchwork-like beauty will emerge

Other spaces have also been expanded with exhibition rooms and creative yards, allowing the entire facility to be used as a museum. One permanent exhibit, which is open to photography, is "Aomori Dog," a work created by Yoshitomo Nara that is integrated into the architecture. It's a monumental piece, measuring 8.5 meters in length, and is a symbol of the Aomori Museum of Art. Some visitors even visit just to see "Aomori Dog." The second basement floor is home to the huge, four-story atrium exhibition room known as "Aleko Hall," where visitors can see three background paintings (9 meters high and 15 meters wide) from the ballet "Aleko," choreographed by Leonid Massine, and a poem by Pushkin by Chagall

In addition to the exhibition space, a theater and community gallery have been built, allowing for viewing of film works and accommodating artistic activities by the prefecture's residents

The collection includes works by artists from Aomori Prefecture such as Munakata Shiko, Terayama Shuji, and Nara Yoshitomo, as well as works by artists from outside the prefecture, and works by foreign artists such as Picasso, Matisse, and Chagall. The museum's opening exhibition featured a collection of Chagall's works. There is a permanent exhibition room dedicated to Munakata Shiko, where original paintings such as oil paintings are on display in addition to prints

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