Asian Art Museum

TLDR: great price to spend three hours looking at beautifully curated items

Came originally for Murakami which was a great exhibit (though the prices of merch are very high) but the other exhibits on floor 3 and floor 2 we spent over two hours in ! Many other Asian art museums have mostly religious figures and while they have a lot of those here as well, they have other artifacts and items as well as feature some contemporary artists! Would allocate about three hours for the museum!

Fantastic impressive space to house this huge and important collection. The building is beautiful from the outside and inside with large display rooms and common areas. The special exhibits have a wide variety of styles. In general, the museum includes pieces both old and new.

Definitely worth the membership with the frequently changing exhibits and permanent displays as well. Easy to reach via public transportation. Free coat check. Gift shop is well curated as well. Appreciate gender neutral bathrooms too.

Asian Art Museum in San Francisco is one of the largest museums in the Western world devoted exclusively to Asian art. The museum's collection spans over 6,000 years and includes more than 18,000 objects from different regions of Asia, including China, Japan, Korea, India, Southeast Asia, and the Himalayas. The collection includes a wide range of mediums, such as paintings, sculptures, ceramics, textiles, and decorative arts.

The museum offers a variety of exhibitions and programs throughout the year, including special exhibitions, lectures, workshops, and performances. It also has a research library and a bookstore specializing in Asian art and culture.

The objects in the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco are arranged based on various themes, regions, and time periods. The museum has a comprehensive collection that spans over 6,000 years of Asian art history, so the arrangement of objects allows visitors to explore different aspects of Asian art.

The museum's permanent collection is organized into galleries that focus on specific regions or themes. For example, there are galleries dedicated to Chinese art, Japanese art, Korean art, Indian art, Southeast Asian art, and Himalayan art. Within these galleries, the objects are further organized by time period, artistic style, or chronological order, allowing visitors to see the development of artistic styles and techniques over time.
They may also be grouped thematically, highlighting common motifs or cultural traditions for example there was an exhibition with the theme of dance that explored the cultural significance of dance in art and its symbolic meanings

In addition to the permanent collection, the museum also hosts special exhibitions that feature specific artists, periods, or themes. These exhibitions may have their own unique arrangement and display design, depending on the curatorial vision.

Attended on one of their "free" days. They have an extensive and amazing collection...I spent approximately 3 hours here checking out everything! The art was well laid out and the self walking tour was easy. Such a great experience for my first visit!!