Asian Art Museum

Did you know you can download virtual guided tours of our galleries? Find self-guided audio tours to over 6,000 years of Asian art and culture on the free Asian Art Museum app! These virtual guided tours are an invaluable resource for your next museum visit and just as informative from the comfort of your own home. Speak another language? Most tours are available in English, Spanish, Mandarin (Traditional and Simplified), Cantonese, and French. Head to about.asianart.org/plan-your-visit/ to plan your next visit! And don't forget, Nov. 1, the first Sunday of the month, is free admission!

Color can affect mood, draw attention, and cause excitement. Take a closer look to see beautiful color palettes inspired by pieces from our collection for #NationalColorDay! What color palette fits your mood today? Visit http://asianart.emuseum.com/ to find more colorful artworks in our collection! : Large, flattened, lobed form with flared foot and covered with bands of clay in hues of blue, green and pink, 2012. by Miyashita Zenji (Japanese, 1939 - 2012). Stoneware dec...orated with carved bandings of colored clays. Asian Art Museum, Gift of Dr. Phyllis A. Kempner and Dr. David D. Stein, 2018.69. Zenji Miyashita. Photograph Asian Art Museum. : The Hindu deity Kali, 1988. by Baua Devi (Indian, b. 1944). Ink and colors on paper. Asian Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1999.39.20. Photograph Asian Art Museum. : Plate with fern design, 1650s. Japan; Arita, Saga prefecture. Edo period (1615-1868). Porcelain with overglaze enamel decoration. Asian Art Museum, The Avery Brundage Collection, B64P31. Photograph Asian Art Museum. : Untitled, approx. 1950-1992. by Junggwang (Korean, 1935 - 2002). Ink, colors and gold leaf on paper. Asian Art Museum, Gift of Jung Kwang, 1992.229. Photograph Asian Art Museum. : Karna, half-brother of the Pandava brothers, approx. 1980. by M. Ahim (Indonesian). Wood, cloth, and mixed media. Asian Art Museum, From The Mimi and John Herbert Collection, F2000.86.40. Photograph Asian Art Museum. : Wrapping cloth (bojagi), 1900-2000. Korea. Silk. Asian Art Museum, Gift of Chung Hee Kim, 2009.10. Photograph Asian Art Museum. See more

Did you know Kunisada was one of Van Gogh’s favorite non-European artists? Of the 549 surviving Japanese prints Van Gogh owned, nearly half are by Kunisada. Read about the discovery of Gauguin’s lost manuscript Avant et Après, acquired by London’s Courtauld Gallery, which included three Japanese prints by Utagawa Kunisada, one of Japan’s most important printmakers.

Celebrating these remarkable women for #WCW! New murals by Jas Charanjiva, Chanel Miller, and Jenifer K Wofford are now on view outside the museum from Hyde Street. We're thrilled to make art more accessible by turning our museum walls inside out with these powerful murals that speak to strength, healing, and community. Plan your next trip to the museum to see these inspiring pieces in person!

Mohamed Zakariya, born in 1942 in Ventura, California, is recognized as a master of Arabic and Ottoman Turkish calligraphy. His expertise in Ottoman Turkish calligraphy and the Turkish art of marbling is beautifully exemplified in this rendering of a poem titled "Garden of Happiness," and its decorative border. Today, Zakariya continues to practice his art and calligraphy in the U.S. For #NationalDayonWriting, tell us what compels you to write and then read more about Zaka...riya at go.asianart.org/Mohamed_Zakariya. : An Ottoman Turkish poem, "Garden of Happiness" Garden of Happiness, 2004. by Mohamed Zakariya (American, b. 1942). Ink and colors on paper. Asian Art Museum, Gift of Anne Breckenridge Dorsey and Carolyn J. Young, F2005.73. Photograph Asian Art Museum.

Celebrate 3rd i's 18th annual SF International South Asian Film Festival as a free virtual event with some of the best cinema from India, South Africa, UK, and the USA. For this year's armchair edition, 3rd I South Asian Films reaches back into their archives to showcase 3rd i classics and bring back 3rd i alums with exciting new projects! Catch some exciting films from October 23 to October 25!

Few art forms have become as closely associated with a single location as the textile tradition of batik and Indonesia. Although the technique of patterning cloth through the application of wax is known in other parts of the world, in Indonesia, especially on the island of Java, this art form has reached the highest level of complexity. Get a quick glimpse of how these Javanese artisans make batik and then watch the full video on our YouTube channel to learn more about their refined techniques. Head to youtube.com/asianartmuseum to see more!

Today, we would like to honor the people who produce, plant, harvest, fish, or transport our food for #WorldFoodDay. In this scene of rural life in the Philippines, farmers harvest rice in the background while villagers rest under the shade of a mango tree in the foreground. Pastoral themes such as this one were a favorite of the Filipino artist Fernando Amorsolo. #FAHM Head to go.asianart.org/Fernando_Amorsolo to learn more about Amorsolo's depictions of Philippine villagers and genre scenes, which became extremely popular and were reproduced in books, magazines, and advertisements by the late 1920s. : Farmers working and resting, 1955. by Fernando Amorsolo (Filipino, 1892 - 1972). Oil on canvas. Asian Art Museum, Gift of Alexander and Cornelia Calhoun, 2005.99. Photograph Asian Art Museum.

Can't make it to the museum? Tour Chanel Miller's I was, I am, I will be from the comfort of your couch! Check out the new virtual tour of Chanel Miller's I was, I am, I will be on our Google Arts & Culture page. Get a closer look at the mural with quotes from Chanel and an artist profile video. Head to go.asianart.org/GoogleArtsCulture to explore the gallery now! : Installation view of Chanel Miller: I was, I am, I will be, Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, 2020. Photograph Asian Art Museum.

This heat wave makes us want to jump into a cool ocean. Remember to stay hydrated this week! : Namiyo at Hanauma Bay, November 15, 1985, by Masami Teraoka (Japanese, b. 1936). Lithograph. Asian Art Museum, Acquisition made possible by Richard Beleson and Kim Lam Beleson, 2004.21. Masami Teraoka. Photograph Asian Art Museum.

We acknowledge that the land on which the Asian Art Museum sits is the ancestral home of the Ohlone peoples, who stewarded this land for generations. We pay respect to the elders past, present and emerging, for they hold the memories, traditions, and culture of their people across the nation. We extend our respect to these Ohlone Ramaytush tribes as well as other indigenous people who are present. To learn more about how to support Indigenous Peoples' Day, click the link below for an Indigenous Peoples’ Day Toolkit provided by IllumiNative, a national Native-led nonprofit committed to amplifying contemporary Native voices. https://go.asianart.org/2GyAwt3 #IndigenousPeoplesDay