Asian Arts Museum

The Museum of Asian Arts in Nice is a one-of-a-kind architectural gem, designed by Japanese architect Kenzō Tange and completed in 1987. The only museum building by this master in Europe, it sits on an artificial lake in the seven-hectare (17-acre) Parc Phoenix, close to the Promenade des Anglais. The architecture is based on the basic geometric forms of the square and the circle, which symbolize heaven and earth in Asian culture and recall Tibetan mandalas. Four cube-shaped pavilions seem to float freely above the water, each dedicated to the civilizations of China, Japan, India, and Cambodia. These windowless exhibition spaces stand in contrast to the light-flooded ground-floor hall, which is connected to the surrounding lake through frameless glass walls and a skylight.

You experience the building as a harmonious whole of water, light, and structure. The floors are linked by a large, elliptical spiral staircase of steel and glass, which draws on philosophical currents of the Asian world. A semicircular annex houses the entrance, a reception desk, a bookstore, and a tea pavilion, which is connected to the main building by bridges. The entire facade is clad in white marble, while a square tower in the lake serves as a signal tower and carries textile advertising sails for temporary exhibitions. The collections include both classical and contemporary works from the most important Asian cultures, drawn from private and public holdings.