The National Museum of Art, Osaka

The National Museum of Art, Osaka, is defined by an enormous, sculptural entrance of glass and curved stainless steel tubes that rise in two distinct peaks of fifty-two and thirty-four meters. While these silvery, reed-like forms dominate the ground level, they serve only as the gateway to a facility that is almost entirely subterranean. Designed by architect César Pelli and opened at this location in two thousand and four, the museum was built to house a major collection of contemporary art.