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MULTIPLE IDENTITIES VIA SPIRITUALITY, HISTORIES AND CULTURAL RE-PRESENTATIONS 151The “Contemporary Art Museum” in Japan: A Study on the Role andFunction of this Cultural Institution in Today’s Urban SocietyAroon PuritatIntroductionIf art museums were considered a function existing inthe urban fabric in the same manner as markets, trainstations, theaters, parks, universities, offices, etc. are,one would see the constant adaptations andadjustments of these urban buildings and spaces overdifferent periods. It is inevitable for art museums toresist the changing course of time. Such changeseventually become significant evidences of Japan’shistory of art and culture, and of the progression of itssociety, economy and politics, including itsarchitectural developments.Architect Arata Isozaki classifies the historical changesof museums into three generations. “The Pantheonstyle museums in the first generation focus mainly oncollection and preservation, while the secondgeneration art museums are modern museums wherewhite cubical space carries out main functionality inexhibiting different genre of art. Contemporarymuseums in the third generation are site-specific,which integrate artworks into the museum’sarchitectural space” (Fudo 2011, 2).Yuko Hasegawa (2004, 78-79), chief curator of theMuseum of Contemporary Art in Tokyo, divides theevolution of art museums into four differentgenerations. She wrote:Art museums have changed with the times. InJapan, the first generation of museums built inthe postwar period up to the 1960s focused onthe function of preservation. The secondgeneration, in the 1960s and 1970s, emphasizeddisplay and presentation. In the 1980s and after,a third generation appeared with an emphasis onvisitor participation, learning experiences, andhospitality to visitors. Facilities were establishedfor workshops, concerts and performances.Amenities such as cafes, restaurant, and shopswere provided for the people who were spendingmore time in the museum, taking advantage ofthe many programs it offered. Since the 1990s, afourth generation of museums has appeared inresponse to the greater influence of informationin society, the trend toward globalization, andthe demand for lifetime education. They giveviewers a more active role and provide them withgreater opportunities for personal growth andself-realization.It is noticeable how the architect Arata Isozakicategorizes the generations of art museums accordingto their architectural styles, while Yuko Hasegawaclassifies art museums by their functionalities andsocial roles. The researcher, meanwhile, incorporatesthe insights of the two experts in the classification ofart museums proposed in this research. This research isthe result of a one-year fieldtrip, during which theresearcher traveled to art museums in the differentcities of Japan to explore and analyze the urbancontexts surrounding the museums, theiradministration systems, as well as their architecturalaspects.The methodology chosen for this research included indepthinterviews with artists, architects, curators, andart museum directors in Japan. The researcher alsoparticipated in several academic seminars including artand architectural exhibitions. The events wererecorded in the form of a digital video for further studyand analysis for this research.The First Generation Art MuseumAfter the Second World War, Japan attempted toreconstruct the nation from the debris of destructionthrough the developments that looked toward severalWestern models, ranging from the education systemand industrial technology, to art museums, which werethen an emerging cultural unit inspired by the West. Itwas the era when the first generation of art museums inJapan was conceived with the main roles of collectingand preserving several genres of art.Junzo Sakakura designed the Museum of Modern Artin Kamakura in 1951. The museum marks aprominent milestone in Japan’s modern architecturalhistory and is considered Japan’s first museum ofmodern art. The country’s first National Museum ofThe Work of the 2010/2011 API Fellows