National Museum of Asian Art Washington receives Largest Gift Since its Founding

his donation, the single largest gift since the museum’s founding, will contribute significantly to the museum’s mission to preserve, exhibit, research and interpret art in ways that deepen understanding of Asia and the world.

“Over 100 years ago, a remarkable gift to the nation established our museum as a space for preserving and sharing the arts and cultures of Asia,” said Chase F. Robison, the museum’s director. “This new commitment resonates with that original gift, launching our second century with a renewed commitment to our mission. With this generous donation, we are excited to further cultivate our already beloved Japanese programming and expand our scientific research and conservation program.”

The expansion of the museum’s Japanese programming coincides with its current “Japan in Focus” series of exhibitions and programs, which offer visitors new ways to deepen their understanding of Japanese art and culture. This series demonstrates the museum’s commitment to growing its Japanese program and collection and serving as a national and international leader in the study, preservation and presentation of Japanese art and culture.

Japanese art has been a cornerstone of the National Museum of Asian Art since the museum opened to the public in 1923. Charles Lang Freer’s founding collection comprised some 9,500 works of art, more than 2,000 of which were Japanese paintings and ceramics as well as Buddhist paintings, metalwork and sculpture. Today, the National Museum of Asian Art has expanded its Japanese collection to more than 15,000 objects spanning four millennia, including paintings, woodblock prints, lacquers, calligraphy and photographs, accounting for nearly one-third of the museum’s permanent collection.

Main Image: National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution / Department of Conservation and Scientific Research