Photo/Illutration Visitors take photos of Yuzo Saeki’s “Postman” at the Nakanoshima Museum of Art, Osaka, which opened on Feb. 2 in the city’s Kita Ward. (Tatsuo Kanai)

OSAKA—Around 40 years in the making, the Nakanoshima Museum of Art, Osaka opened in the city’s Kita Ward on Feb. 2, boasting one of Japan’s largest collections.

Characterized by an exterior that looks like a jet-black box, the five-story museum stands along a river on the Nakanoshima sandbar.

To celebrate the opening, a special exhibition titled “Hello! Super Collection” is currently being held in exhibition rooms on the fourth and fifth floors, which are some of the largest in the Kansai region.

The exhibits include masterpieces by Modigliani, Dali, Magritte and other modern artists, artworks by Yuzo Saeki, Jiro Yoshihara and other artists associated with Osaka, and posters and furniture by creators at home and abroad.

The Osaka city government in 1983 came up with a basic plan to build the modern art museum as part of a series of projects to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Osaka’s city status.

The city government set up an office to prepare for the project more than 30 years ago, and officials have since collected more than 6,000 art pieces, including those donated to the museum.

The project faced a number of difficulties.

The budget to collect artworks was abolished due to fiscal difficulties, and the project itself was sent back to the drawing board.

There was also a plan to integrate the new museum with the existing Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts in Tennoji Ward.

“I was worried about what would happen to the collection, but I’m glad that the museum managed to open,” said Atsuko Okuma, 64, who has lived in the city for about 30 years.

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