Contemporary Japanese museums. Metamorphoses of meanings in architecture

Abstract

Since the late XX century the role and the functions of museums around the world have begun to change significantly, and their usual classical understanding has expanded. In line with worldwide trends, there was a search for museums to meet new modern requirements of Japan. Japanese experiments in this field bring the architecture of the museum to the foreground, absolutizing its significance and value. The result was the emergence of a new kind of museums in Japan – museums without collections, where the main and only exhibit is the architecture.