Asian Art Museum (San Francisco)

The Asian Art Museum in San Francisco is a major museum focused exclusively on the arts of Asia and their diasporas, with one of the largest collections of Asian art in the United States. It is located in the former San Francisco Main Library building near the Civic Center and City Hall.

Exhibits present works from across East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia and the Himalayas, covering a wide chronological range and including sculpture, painting, textiles, ceramics and ritual objects. The museum’s collection totals on the order of 18,000 objects, and rotating special exhibitions highlight specific regions, periods or themes.

The museum’s core collection grew from private donations, notably those of collector Avery Brundage, and the institution moved into the Beaux-Arts former library building in 2003 to expand gallery space and public programming. Since the move it has continued to develop educational programs, loans and temporary exhibitions.

Located in San Francisco’s Civic Center, the museum sits a short walk from San Francisco City Hall and is easily reached by public transit. The building itself is a recognizable downtown landmark and forms part of the city’s cultural corridor.

• Collection size: Holds roughly 18,000 works of Asian art spanning many regions and periods, making it one of the larger collections of Asian art in the United States.
• Location and building: Relocated to the former San Francisco Main Library building in the Civic Center area in 2003, giving the museum a prominent downtown address near City Hall.

What to See #

• Main building: Housed in the former San Francisco Main Library building, a Beaux-Arts structure completed in the early 20th century that the museum adapted for gallery use when it relocated to this site.
• Permanent collections: Permanent collections span major Asian regions including China, Japan, Korea, South Asia, Southeast Asia and the Himalayan region, with a combined collection of approximately 18,000 objects.