The National Art Center serves culture and contemporary art. Its glass façade that runs 160m long with a reptilian undulation is by Kurokawa Kisho (1934-2007), great herald of Japan's architectural renaissance. Inaugurated in 2007, the aim of the building is to compensate for the narrowness of the museums of Ueno with 14 000m2 of exhibition space, conference rooms, a library and the Brasserie Paul Bocuse.