Izu Photo Museum

The Izu Photo Museum is part of the Clematis no Oka, a beautiful complex that combines art and nature at the slow pace of the hills of mount Takayama. It is a very understated yet beautiful building where every detail has been designed with the light touch of an intrinsically Japanese manner. The building feels like a journey, a story told through a series of spaces, and gardens that interlink naturally, unpretentiously , allowing the exhibition to talk to the visitor without interruption. The subtlety of details contributes to the overall experience. The display walls, for instance, appear suspended, as supporting structure is painted in black and the white boards do not not touch the floor which lowers its edge as a contribution to the overall effect. The gardens act as pauses in the journey. They are windows to places one wants to stop and contemplate, reminiscent of those photographies that Hiroshi Sugimoto took at the New York Natural History Museum.