Freer Gallery of Art

The Freer Gallery of Art is a Smithsonian museum in Washington, D.C., specializing in Asian art and the American collection bequeathed by industrialist Charles Lang Freer. The institution opened in the early 20th century to house Freer’s collection and today forms part of the Smithsonian’s Asian art complex.

Gallery highlights include the freestanding Peacock Room by James McNeill Whistler, extensive Chinese and Japanese ceramics, and collections of South and Southeast Asian art displayed across compact, focused galleries. The museum also presents nineteenth- and early twentieth-century American paintings from Freer’s bequest.

The Freer was created from Freer’s private collection and funds; the building and curatorial program were established to keep the collection intact and accessible. It functions as a research and exhibition center for Asian and American art and is managed as part of the Smithsonian Institution.

Located on the National Mall adjacent to other Smithsonian museums, the gallery is a short walk from the Washington Monument and Capitol area and is accessible by public transit.

• Admission: Operated by the Smithsonian Institution with free admission; the Freer shares programming and visitor flow with the neighboring Sackler/Arthur M. Sackler Gallery complex.
• Founding: The museum was founded on the collections bequeathed by industrialist Charles Lang Freer and opened to the public in the early 1920s.

What to See #

• Peacock Room: A small wood-paneled gallery housing James McNeill Whistler's decorative ensemble known as the Peacock Room, one of the museum's signature works.
• Asian Art Galleries: Galleries dedicated to Asian art including Chinese ceramics, Japanese screens and South and Southeast Asian works, arranged across thematic and chronological displays.
• American Art Galleries: Spaces presenting nineteenth- and early twentieth-century American art and the original Freer bequest, including paintings, works on paper and supporting documentation.