Art of East Asia

The newly refurbished display Art of East Asia represents over six years of research and conservation by our curator of Asian Art and has been designed by the renowned firm of Staples & Charles. Art of East Asia vividly animates the philosophical and creative traditions that inspired Asian luminaries and everyday people throughout China, Japan, and Korea. 

This story begins with a section devoted to Chinese tomb art and develops through Buddhist icons, Daoist visions in the setting of a formal Chinese reception hall, the mixture of Buddhist, Daoist, and Shinto domestic piety embodied by the objects of a Japanese living space, and a much-anticipated display of arts of Korea. Throughout the galleries, hands-on elements offer visitors chances to interact with East Asian art in an uncommonly tactile way.

Occupying the space once known as the Asian Court, these galleries have been extensively renovated thanks in part to a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. Reclaimed teak floors, atmospheric exhibition design, and state-of-the-art lighting all come together to create a unified and powerful environment for these exceptional arts.

Exhibition overview from museum website