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152 Panel 4Art was initially founded under the administration ofthe Ministry of Education. The Japanese Governmentback then bought the building from NikkatsuCorporation and assigned the architect KunioMaekawa to be responsible for the renovation. 1The Museum of Modern Art, Kamakura, architect Junzo Sakakura (1951). Photos taken by Aroon Puritat.Not long after, Le Corbusier designed The NationalMuseum of Western Art in Tokyo, which opened in1959. Its spiral circulation plan resonates with LeCorbusier’s desire for the museum to be able to expandin the future when the collection grows larger. Theoriginal collection exhibited in the museum was KojiroMatsukata’s personal collection. Such contributionexemplifies the way art collectors transfer theirpersonal collections to public art organizations, apractice that later became more common in theJapanese art culture scene. The art pieces exhibited inart museums during this period were mostly paintingsand sculptures. 2This was also the period when collections of westernart from different eras were gradually compiled indifferent art museums. For instance, the NationalMuseum of Western Art exhibited a collection ofartworks from the 14 th to the 19 th centuries, while theNational Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo mountedJapan’s notable artworks by both Japanese andinternational artists from the 20 th century, or themodern era.The National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo, architect Le Corbusier (1959). Photos by Aroon Puritat.The Second Generation Art Museums (1970-1980)The second-generation movement emphasizedexhibition and presentation more. During this time,art museums began to emerge in the differentprovinces of the country, instead of clustering inseveral venues in Tokyo.It was during this period when the 1970 Expo inOsaka manifested the majesty and early developmentof Modern Japanese architecture that started to breakaway from the influence of Western architecture,particularly that of Le Corbusier. This era’s generationof architects, among them, Kunio Maekawa and JunzoSakakura, projected such differentiation distinctively.The Work of the 2010/2011 API Fellows