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Asian Art Museums

EUROPE (NORTH)

Czech Republic

Naprstek Museum, Prague – Part of the Prague National Musuem, it houses an interesting collection of American, Asian and African Art

France

Musée Guimet, Paris – Widely regarded as one of the most important collections of Asian Art outside Asia, this famous Museum was transferred to Paris in 1885

Musée du Quai Branly, Paris – This new museum (opened in 2006) is France’s national museum to African, American, Oceanian and Asian Art

Russia

Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg – the largest Art collection in the world. Although Asian Art is not part of its highlights, it exhibits good examples of Chinese porcelain

United Kingdom

British Museum, London – England’s greatest museum -and one of the best in the world- of Ancient Arts and antiquities, with most complete collection of sculpture from Indian in the world.

Sir John Soane’s Museum, London – A fantastic 19th century building housing one of the most original and interesting museums in London, with antiquities, Asian art and old masters paintings

Ashmolean Museum, Oxford – Believed to be the first university museum, this great museum exhibits a large selection of Chinese and Japanese Art

EUROPE (SOUTH)

Bulgary

National Gallery for Foreign Art, Sofia – Houses a good selection of European paintings, including works by Renoir and Chagall, in addition to Asian, African and contemporary Art

Portugal

Museu Calouste Gulbenkian, Lisbon – Exhibits the Art collection of philanthropist Calouste Gulbenkian, with a good collection of antiquities and Asian art

Serbia

National Museum of Serbia, Belgrade – Founded in 1844, it is Serbia’s greatest museum, exhibiting more than 400,000 objects from different cultures and periods

Spain

Museo arqueológico, Madrid – The best collection of antiquities in Spain, with some good Asian pieces

Turkey

Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, Ankara – Exhibits an impressive collection of Near Eastern and Greek antiquities from the Paleolithic to the first millenium

Arcaeological Museum, Istanbul – A 19th century building comprising three museums: the Archaeological Museum, the Museum of Ancient Orient and the Museum of Islamic Art

NORTH AMERICA

United States

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York Arguably America’s greatest museum. Its spectacular collection is especially strong in Chinese calligraphy and paintings.

Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, New York – Houses an extensive collection of Asian Art, including a torso of a Bodhisattva from India

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston one of the oldest and most respected Art institutions of North America. It has a sister museum in Japan, reflecting its interest in Asia and its culture

Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia – One of the greatest Museums in North America, with a great collection of Asian Art. The building appeared in a famous scene in the film “Rocky”

The Art Institute of Chicago – houses one of the most outstanding Art collections of the United States, featuring over 35,000 works of art from Asia

Museum of Art, Cleveland – One of the most complete art collections in America, including a great collection of Asian works of art

Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit One of the greatest Museums in America, houses a great collection of Asian and Islamic Art, with a beautiful ‘Parvati’ from the Chola Dynasty (ca. 860-1279)

Dallas Art Museum, Dallas – Exhibits a good collection of Asian Art, Egyptian Art and European painting, including works by van Gogh, Gauguin and Monet

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston – Considered to be the best Museum in Texas, its collections span more than 5,000 years, from Egyptian Art to modern paintings

Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), Los Angeles – One of the best Art collections in the country, exhibited in a building recently transformated by Renzo Piano

Norton Simon Museum, Pasadena – Houses a collection of Art from the Egyptian culture to the modern Art, including a nice selection of Asian Art

ASIA

Bhutan

National Museum of Bhutan – This surprising cylindrical building was built in 1641 AD, and houses a fine collection of artworks from many eras

China

Palace Museum, Forbidden City, Beijing -The Palace Museum houses one of the largest Art collections in the world. Over 1 million pieces, including an outstanding selection of Ming porcelain

Shanghai Museum, Shanghai – Exhibits one of the greatest collections of Ancient Chinese artworks in the world, in a modern building opened in 1996

Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong – This large Museum houses a collection of Chinese paintings, sculptures and calligraphy

India

National Museum, New Delhi – The largest Museum in India houses a collection of more than 200,000 works of Art from the prehistoric era to the 19th century

Iran

National Museum of Iran, Teheran – Iran’s National Museum exhibits a large collection of Persian artifacts, including a large group of Achaemenid sculptures

Iraq

National Museum of Iraq, Baghdag – Houses an collection of Mid Eastern Art, including a fantastic group of Assyrian sculptures. Its collection was partially looted during the Iraq War in 2003

Japan

Tokyo National Museum, Tokyo – Houses the greatest collection of Japanese Art in the world, with more than 100,000 pieces from the prehistoric era to the 19th Century

Malaysia

National Museum, Kuala Lumpur – Among its large collections of artifacts, this Museum exhibits a great number of artworks, including ceramics and bronzes

Taiwan

National Palace Museum, Taipei – Houses one of the greatest collections of Ancient Chinese Art in the world, including paintings, sculptures, bronzes and jades

AUSTRALIA AND OCEANIA

Australia

Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane – Exhibits a very good collection of Aboriginal Art, as well as Asian Art and contemporary Australian Art

Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney – Exhibits an interesting collection of Art, the Gallery is specially strong in Asian Art

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Asian Art Museums