Hirosaki Museum of Contemporary Art

The Complete Record of the Revival and Transformation of a 100-Year-Old Brick Warehouse into a Museum of Contemporary Art.

The Hirosaki Museum of Contemporary Art is the first museum in Japan designed by Paris-based and internationally active architect Tsuyoshi Tane. This book reveals the full story of how Tane's work on “architecture that inherits memory” transformed a century-old brick warehouse into a contemporary art museum. Starting with the architectural concept, which derives from the history of Hirosaki, this book traces the evolution of brick warehouses, details the archaeological research, the spectacular on-site demolition, and careful restoration of the existing building, before finally showcasing the museum situated in the local Hirosaki landscape upon completion. Focusing on new approaches to museum management, including program organization and the use of space, this book records efforts to transmit new ways of thinking about memory and inheritance through architecture from Hirosaki to the rest of the world. This is the story of an art museum that was created from a revitalized brick warehouse, revealing one example of architecture that connects past and future as Japan’s precious old scenery disappears.