Important Works · Museum directory

World Museum Guide

Find a museum by region or collecting interest, then open its guide to plan your study and visit.

17 of 17 museums

Before your visit
Beijing · ChinaAsia

The Palace Museum

Official museum directory entry. A detailed collection guide is awaiting source verification.

Open study & visitor guide

OACA study suggestion

Before travelling, check official admission, identity-document and exhibition requirements. Plan the palace visit and any special exhibition separately.

Plan your visit

The official pages could not be read during this check; opening hours and ticket arrangements are not confirmed here.

Source access limited · guide details unverified

TaipeiAsia

National Palace Museum

The museum’s digital selection covers painting, calligraphy, ceramics, bronzes, jade and textiles, organized by category and period.

  • Painting & calligraphy
  • Ceramics
  • Jade & metalwork
  • Textiles & decorative arts
Open study & visitor guide

OACA study suggestion

Choose one material and compare examples across two periods. Read the institutional object record before comparing a personal collection with a museum reference.

Plan your visit

Confirm the relevant museum branch and current display before travelling. A digital collection record does not mean an object is on view.

Collection source checked: 2026-09-13

Shanghai · ChinaAsia

Shanghai Museum

The collection portal groups bronzes, paintings, jade, ceramics, sculpture, seals and calligraphy, with a separate museum-treasures section.

  • Painting & calligraphy
  • Ceramics
  • Jade & metalwork
  • Sculpture & religious art
Open study & visitor guide

OACA study suggestion

Use the bronze and ceramics categories as a starting point for comparing vessel profiles and ornament. Save object titles before planning a gallery visit.

Plan your visit

Check the museum’s Visit and Reservation sections for the correct venue, exhibition and entry arrangements.

Collection source checked: 2026-09-13

Hong Kong · ChinaAsia

Hong Kong Palace Museum

The museum describes holdings of ancient gold and silver, textiles, ceramics, furniture, painting and calligraphy, including Ming and Qing imperial porcelain.

  • Painting & calligraphy
  • Ceramics
  • Jade & metalwork
  • Textiles & decorative arts
Open study & visitor guide

OACA study suggestion

Follow materials and cultural exchange through goldwork and ceramics. When reading labels, distinguish the museum’s own collection from temporary loans.

Plan your visit

The museum is in West Kowloon. Check which galleries your ticket covers and consult the official tours and audio-guide options.

Collection source checked: 2026-09-13

Tokyo · JapanAsia

Tokyo National Museum

The campus separates Japanese art in the Honkan, Asian art in the Toyokan and the Gallery of Horyuji Treasures, with online collection resources.

  • Painting & calligraphy
  • Sculpture & religious art
Open study & visitor guide

OACA study suggestion

Choose Japanese art or a cross-Asian comparison first, then plan the corresponding building. Use the weekly display-change list to check works on paper.

Plan your visit

Download the official museum map. Check collection and special-exhibition ticket requirements separately; the visitor page also explains luggage restrictions.

Collection source checked: 2026-09-13

Seoul · South KoreaAsia

National Museum of Korea

The official collection selection includes celadon vessels, portraits and decorated metalwork, alongside online Korean-art exhibitions.

  • Painting & calligraphy
  • Ceramics
  • Jade & metalwork
Open study & visitor guide

OACA study suggestion

Compare ceramic shapes and metalwork decoration, then connect them with a painting or portrait. Record the Korean title as well as the translated label.

Plan your visit

Check the official closure notices before selecting galleries; the museum publishes temporary gallery closures separately from general opening hours.

Collection source checked: 2026-09-13

SingaporeAsia

Asian Civilisations Museum

Official museum directory entry. A detailed collection guide is awaiting source verification.

Open study & visitor guide

OACA study suggestion

Use the official museum website to choose collection galleries and current exhibitions before arranging a visit.

Plan your visit

The source presented a verification screen during this check. Ticketing, exhibitions and opening hours have not been verified here.

Source access limited · guide details unverified

San Francisco · United StatesNorth America

Asian Art Museum

A dedicated museum of Asian and Asian American art, connecting archaeological discoveries with contemporary practice. Its online resources include masterpieces and gallery selections.

  • Sculpture & religious art
  • Ceramics
  • Painting & calligraphy
Open study & visitor guide

OACA study suggestion

Start with the online masterpieces and select a small group to study in person. Compare materials and regional context rather than trying to cover every gallery.

Plan your visit

Located at 200 Larkin Street. Use Plan Your Visit for current opening days, tickets and tours; use In the Galleries to help plan your focus.

Collection source checked: 2026-09-13

Washington, DC · United StatesNorth America

Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art

The Freer and Sackler galleries bring together art from East, South and Southeast Asia, the ancient Near East and the Islamic world, supported by collection and provenance resources.

  • Painting & calligraphy
  • Jade & metalwork
  • Sculpture & religious art
Open study & visitor guide

OACA study suggestion

Choose a regional collection, then compare the object record with its materials and provenance notes. The digital collection is also useful for preparing close-looking questions.

Plan your visit

The galleries are on the National Mall. Check the museum’s current notices and Visit pages before travelling.

Collection source checked: 2026-09-13

New York · United StatesNorth America

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Asian Art department spans China, Korea, Japan, the Himalayas, South Asia and Southeast Asia, with paintings, sculpture, ceramics, metalwork and textiles.

  • Painting & calligraphy
  • Ceramics
  • Jade & metalwork
  • Sculpture & religious art
  • Textiles & decorative arts
Open study & visitor guide

OACA study suggestion

Compare a shared theme across two regions, such as Buddhist imagery or blue-and-white ceramics. Use the department’s geographical organization to keep the visit focused.

Plan your visit

Asian art is at The Met Fifth Avenue. Paintings and other sensitive materials rotate, so confirm individual display status and admission before visiting.

Collection source checked: 2026-09-13

Boston · United StatesNorth America

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Asian holdings include Japanese prints and Buddhist art, Chinese painting and ceramics, Korean decorative art, and South and Southeast Asian works.

  • Painting & calligraphy
  • Ceramics
  • Sculpture & religious art
  • Japanese prints
Open study & visitor guide

OACA study suggestion

Print collectors can begin with the Japanese print catalogue; painting collectors can compare the Chinese highlights and the Weng collection. Use digital records to shortlist works.

Plan your visit

Check the current gallery and exhibition programme before visiting. A work’s presence in the online collection does not guarantee it is displayed.

Collection source checked: 2026-09-13

Cleveland · United StatesNorth America

Cleveland Museum of Art

Begin with the museum’s record for Yin Hong’s Birds Gather under the Spring Willow, also included in OACA’s reference works.

  • Painting & calligraphy
Open study & visitor guide

OACA study suggestion

Compare the structure of the willow, the birds and the use of space. Read the museum’s attribution and collection history alongside OACA’s study notes.

Plan your visit

Confirm whether the work is currently on view before travelling. Use the museum website for visitor arrangements and other collection areas.

Collection source checked: 2026-09-13

London · United KingdomEurope

The British Museum

Official museum directory entry. A detailed Asian-art guide is awaiting source verification.

Open study & visitor guide

OACA study suggestion

Use the official gallery listings and collection search to choose a topic, then confirm the current gallery and entry arrangements.

Plan your visit

The official pages were inaccessible during this check. Opening hours, tickets and gallery availability are not confirmed here.

Source access limited · guide details unverified

Paris · FranceEurope

Musée Guimet

The museum organizes Asian collections by regions including China, Japan, Korea, the Himalayas, India and Southeast Asia, with textiles and library treasures.

  • Ceramics
  • Sculpture & religious art
  • Textiles & decorative arts
  • Japanese prints
Open study & visitor guide

OACA study suggestion

Choose a regional sculpture group or a ceramic theme, then compare it with a neighbouring culture. The collection’s regional headings are useful starting points.

Plan your visit

The main museum is at place d’Iéna. The institution has several venues; confirm the correct venue and display dates, especially for rotating prints.

Collection source checked: 2026-09-13

London · United KingdomEurope

Victoria and Albert Museum

The Chinese collection covers ceramics, jade, lacquer, textiles, furniture and more, with particular depth in the applied arts of later dynastic China.

  • Ceramics
  • Jade & metalwork
  • Textiles & decorative arts
Open study & visitor guide

OACA study suggestion

Study a material across different uses: a ceramic for daily life, a ritual object and a decorative piece. Follow the catalogue’s technique and maker fields.

Plan your visit

Check each object’s venue and display status. The collection portal distinguishes South Kensington, East Storehouse and appointment-only access.

Collection source checked: 2026-09-13

Berlin · GermanyEurope

Museum of Asian Art, Berlin

The collection includes Central Asian cave-temple murals, religious sculpture, East Asian painting, Japanese woodblock prints and lacquer objects.

  • Painting & calligraphy
  • Sculpture & religious art
  • Textiles & decorative arts
  • Japanese prints
Open study & visitor guide

OACA study suggestion

Trace connections between Central Asian murals and South or East Asian sculpture. Read acquisition and provenance context as part of the comparison.

Plan your visit

The collection is presented at the Humboldt Forum; the old Dahlem museum site is closed. Follow the official Plan Your Visit link for current access.

Collection source checked: 2026-09-13

Melbourne · AustraliaOceania

National Gallery of Victoria

The NGV’s online collection offers keyword and artist searches across its holdings. This entry provides a digital starting point for Asian-art research.

Open study & visitor guide

OACA study suggestion

Search by an object type, artist or material, then read the record and image-use terms. Build a shortlist before checking what can be seen in person.

Plan your visit

Confirm the venue and current displays on the gallery website. This collection-page check does not establish gallery opening or individual object availability.

Collection source checked: 2026-09-13

Before your visit · how to use this guide

This is an editorial selection of specialist museums and institutions with Asian-art resources, not a ranking or an exhaustive list. Collection summaries cite museum sources; study suggestions are OACA’s own.

  1. Check the exact venue, opening days, ticket or booking requirements and accessibility on the official website before travelling.
  2. Confirm that the specific work is on view. Paintings, prints and textiles may rotate; online collection records are not display promises.
  3. Read the attribution, date, materials, accession number and provenance together. Museum comparisons alone cannot authenticate a privately owned object.
  4. Check photography and image-use rules. OACA membership does not include museum admission, tours or other museum benefits.

Dates on the cards record collection-source checks, not real-time tickets, opening status or exhibition availability. Unread sources are marked separately.