Lee Ufan Museum — Attraction in Naoshima

A museum resulting from the collaboration between internationally acclaimed artist Lee Ufan, presently based mainly in Europe, and architect Tadao Ando. The Ando-designed semi-underground structure houses paintings and sculptures by Lee spanning a period from the 1970s to the present day. Lee's works resonate with Ando's architecture, giving visitors an impression of both stillness and dynamism. Located in a gentle valley surrounded by hills and the ocean, the museum offers a tranquil space where nature, architecture and art come in resonance with each other, inviting to peaceful and quiet contemplation, in a society overflowing with material goods.

Hours ＆ Admission

Hours： 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. (Last admittance: 4:30 p.m.) Closed： Mondays *Open on Mondays for national holidays but closed the next day. Admission： Online Purchase JPY1,200; On-site Purchase: JPY1,400 *free for children 15 and under

Lee Ufan was one of the leading figures of the Mono-ha school (School of Things), a contemporary art movement emerging in the late 1960s. Lee's works in the museum include two-dimensional paintings featuring repetitive brushstrokes laid down with the rhythm of quiet breathing and sculptures that organically combine stones and steel plates, in which the artist's interventions are reduced to the bare minimum.

For visitors with babies or small children ・Visitors are allowed to enter the museum with a baby carriage, but please note there are stairs inside the museum. ・There is no nursing room nor a changing table in the museum. For handicapped visitors (1)Accessibility Due to characteristics of facility, some places are not accessible for visitors with disabilities and special needs. We ask for your understanding. We will support you as much as possible when you visit us, so please contact and discuss directly with our facilities.

(2)About lending wheelchairs, etc. ・Wheelchairs: We have one wheelchair available on a first-come, first-served basis. ・Writing tools: Available. ・Multi-purpose toilets: Not available. ・You may enter our facilities with a service dog, a seeing eye dog, and/or a hearing...

One of my personal beliefs is the importance of art and culture, and the need for them to be available and accessible to as many people as possible.

This museum confirms that while Ando is a great artist, he’s an immoral architect. Someone with his depth of knowledge and experience knows when he is designing spaces that are unsuitable for the young, the elderly, or people with physical impairments. The artist in him conceives the spaces but the architect in him lacks the talent to realise them in an ethical way.

Great architects understand constraints such as accessibility, and they use them to drive design responses that add to the value of the structure and improve the design.

Ando does not.

Please consider the accessibility of this space as you visit - and understand that the limitations of this museum are replicated in his other works.

Whether it’s stairs without handrails, poor colour contrasts, stairs without alternative access paths, appropriate lighting to ensure contrast, the list of his design short comings is extensive

In the extreme example of the Lee Ufan Museum, people have to walk down stairs and across gravel - without alternatives. If you have any mobility issues this space is probably inaccessible to you.

I could excuse this if he was just making this choice to exclude people from the art he created - but he deliberately excludes people from accessing the art created by others displayed in the spaces he has defined.

Ando’s design morals and ethics are dubious and this venue shows this perfectly - with staircases without handrails and stairs that are uncapped. His choice to expose people to danger even in the museum that honours him shows his immorality and choices to wimp out rather than rise to the challenge of accessibility chooses to ignore it.

I don’t think it’s overstating to say that Ando is cruel - whether conscious or unconscious is something for the visitor to this museum to decide - but I think it’s clear he does everything...

The Lee Ufan Museum is a serene and striking space that blends minimalist art, architecture and nature. Designed by Tadao Ando, the building is partially embedded into the hillside, creating a calm, almost meditative atmosphere as you move through it.

You can buy tickets online beforehand (which saves time) or scan the QR code at the welcome desk.

Lee Ufan’s works—spare sculptures and subtle brushstroke paintings—are thoughtfully arranged to encourage slow, reflective viewing. The standout moment for me was encountering the archway sculpture outside, perfectly framing the sea and sky. It’s simple but breathtaking, and captures the spirit of the whole museum: still, spacious, and deeply connected to its surroundings.

The museum isn’t huge (about 30 minutes to see), but it leaves a lasting impression. A must-visit on Naoshima for anyone who enjoys contemplative spaces and...