The National Museum of Art, Osaka

The National Museum of Art, Osaka, is defined by its titanium and glass entrance that looks like a cluster of long, silver reeds swaying above the sidewalk. This entire museum is tucked completely underground, buried beneath a public park to protect the collection from the city's intense sunlight. When it opened in two thousand four, the building replaced an original structure from the nineteen seventy world's fair, moving the art into this subterranean space to preserve delicate works behind reinforced concrete walls.