An Island of Art

Located in the Seto Inland Sea, Japan’s Naoshima Island is known for its many contemporary art museums. The museums and beauty of the tiny island (roughly 5.5 square miles) draw many tourists, whose visits help support the local economy.

Benesse Corporation (one of the largest education companies in Japan and based in Okayama) has directed the creation and operation of the island's museums and other projects since the late 1980s. It had the works of internationally-renowned painters like Claude Monet, Frank Stella, and Andy Warhol, in addition to many Japanese artists. Its former head, Soichiro Fukutake, wanted a place to showcase this collection with people from all over the world. So, nearly 30 years ago, a large plot of land was bought in the southern part of Naoshima and over the next couple of decades the small island began transforming itself into an international mecca for art enthusiasts.

sources: wikipedia, benesse-artsite