Visit the Smithsonian Asian Art Museums
September 24, 2009 by Mary Jo Manzanares
Filed under Home & Living
No visit to Washington DC would be complete without a visit to at least one or two of the Smithsonian museums. The Air and Space museum and the Museum of Natural History are two of the more popular of the museums, but don’t overlook some of the smaller art museums.
The Freer Gallery and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery make up the Smithsonian’s Asian Art museum, and can provide a well-rounded look at some art often over-looked.
The Freer Gallery is location on the National Mall at Jefferson Drive at 12th Street SW, and was the first Smithsonian museum dedicated to the fine arts. In the gallery you’ll find collections of arts from China, Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia. Also smaller displays from the Near East. You’ll see Japanese screens, ceramics, sculpture, and manuscripts.
The Arthur M. Sackler Gallery is named for the doctor who donated the original collection. It is also on the National Mall, at 1050 Independence Avenue SW, and is connected to the Freer by an underground passageway that also serves as exhibition space. This gallery is home to a beautiful collection of Chinese bronzes and jades, along with painting, lacquer ware, ceramics, metal ware, and sculpture. There is also a significant collection of Islamic Art.
Both galleries are open daily, 10 am – 5:30 pm, with the exception of Christmas Day. Admission is FREE.
Photo credit: Unhindered by Talent @flickr
