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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

MusĂ©e 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

MusĂ©e 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 arqueolĂłgico, 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