National Museum of Asian Art, West Building

10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily
Closed Dec. 25

Jefferson Drive at 12th St., SW
Washington, DC

Free, no passes needed

About

The Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art is made up of two buildings—the West Building (Freer Gallery of Art) and the adjoining East Building (Arthur M. Sackler Gallery). The West Building houses one of the premier collections of Asian art, with objects dating from Neolithic times to the early 20th century, as well as the world's most important collection of works by James McNeill Whistler.

Highlights

Chinese paintings, Indian sculpture; Islamic painting and metalware; Japanese lacquer; Korean ceramics; American Art from the late 19th-century aesthetic movement; Whistler’s Peacock Room.

MetroAccess

To provide an address for MetroAccess Paratransit, please use 1050 Independence Ave., SW.

We encourage the use of Metrorail and Metrobus.

Metrorail

Metro Station: Smithsonian (Mall or Independence Ave. exit)

Nearest Accessible Metro Entrance:
Smithsonian
NW corner of 12th St. & Independence Ave. SW

Check Metrorail's Elevator and Escalator Service Status page for service disruptions.

Parking

There is no public parking facility for Smithsonian museums on the National Mall. A limited number of city-operated metered parking spaces are available, including several accessible parking spaces.

View a map of accessible parking spaces.

Reserved parking near the museums can be purchased in advance through ParkWhiz.
Note: ParkWhiz is a third-party vendor (ParkWhiz Privacy Policy).

Dining

Moongate Cafe
(East Buildling garden entrance)
Inspired by the traditions and cultures of Asia, this casual walk-in dining space serves light fare such as rice bowls and sandwiches, along with a curated selection of teas and other drinks. Enjoy your refreshment looking out into the Moongate Garden, a unique and beautiful corner of the Enid A. Haupt Garden.
10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Shopping

The National Museum of Asian Art store offers visitors a unique shopping experience. Products reflect the collections and exhibitions and are inspired by the arts, cultures, and histories of Asia. Located on level S1 of the East Building (Arthur M. Sackler Gallery), the store carries jewelry, accessories, apparel, home decor, ceramics, textiles, recordings, children’s toys, books, and many other selections.

Visit the store online or call 202.633.0503. Smithsonian member discount applies.

See Getting Here for information on accessible parking and public transportation.

Accessibility Information and Programs

Disability access service requests: asia-accessibility@si.edu.

My Visit

The Peacock Room in Blue and White

Immerse yourself in the Peacock Room as it would have looked 150 years ago.

September 27, 2025 – Ongoing

Asian Art Museum, West Building
My Visit

Reasons to Gather: Japanese Tea Practice Unwrapped

Reasons to Gather presents eleven historic tea utensils and accessories that demonstrate accrued layers of historical and cultural meaning.

April 12, 2025 – April 26, 2026

Asian Art Museum, West Building
My Visit

Japanese Art from the Collection

This exhibition highlights both iconic and lesser-known aspects of Japanese culture through paintings and ceramics from the Freer Gallery of Art Collection.

October 26, 2024 – Ongoing

Asian Art Museum, West Building
My Visit

Ruffled Feathers: Creating Whistler’s Peacock Room

Ruffled Feathers offers visitors a chance to explore the Peacock Room’s tangled history and the personal and global forces that shaped it.

July 13, 2024 – January 31, 2027

Asian Art Museum, West Building
My Visit

Shifting Boundaries: Perspectives on American Landscapes

This exhibition explores the views of New England portrayed by American painters William Metcalf, Dwight Tryon, Winslow Homer, and Abbott Thayer and how they have evolved and been reshaped over time.

July 13, 2024 – July 26, 2026

Asian Art Museum, West Building
My Visit

Do Ho Suh: Public Figures

A special edition of Do Ho Suh's work Public Figures is the first new sculpture installed outside the historic Freer Gallery of Art in over three decades.

April 27, 2024 – April 29, 2029

Asian Art Museum, West Building
My Visit

Knotted Clay: Raku Ceramics and Tea

This exhibition features tea bowls, water containers, and other vessels in the museum’s permanent collection that demonstrate the glazes and forms unique to Raku ware.

December 9, 2023 – 2026

Asian Art Museum, West Building
My Visit

A Collector's Eye: Freer in Egypt

Freer acquired a range of works, including the renowned Washington Codex—one of the oldest Bibles in the world—a digital copy of which will be on view along with an exceptional group of New Kingdom Egyptian glass vessels, a Byzantine jewelry set, amulets, and hundreds of beads, many of which will be seen in this exhibition for the first time.

January 28, 2023 – Ongoing

Asian Art Museum, West Building
My Visit

Freer's Global Network: Artists, Collectors, and Dealers

This exhibition looks closely at the interconnected web of artists, dealers, and collectors who helped shape the Freer Gallery of Art’s collection amid the shifting political and economic environment of the early twentieth century.

October 15, 2022 – Ongoing

Asian Art Museum, West Building
My Visit

Setting the Bar: Arts of the Song Dynasty

Elegance and refinement in form, line, and color characterize the visual arts of China during the Song dynasty. As new technology enhanced ceramic production and the number of kilns rose, fresh approaches to decoration developed.

October 14, 2017 – Indefinitely

Asian Art Museum, West Building
My Visit

Promise of Paradise: Ancient Chinese Buddhist Sculpture

The buddhas, bodhisattvas, and disciples in this exhibition were made to inspire and guide believers on their spiritual path. Their beauty imparted the promise of paradise.

October 14, 2017 – Indefinitely

Asian Art Museum, West Building
My Visit

Added to My Visit Removed from My Visit

Art and Industry: China's Ancient Houma Foundry: Chinese Bronzes Added

~~Art and Industry: China's Ancient Houma Foundry: Chinese Bronzes~~ Removed

View My Visit

Art and Industry: China's Ancient Houma Foundry: Chinese Bronzes

The largest bronze foundry complex from antiquity was excavated at Houma in northern China in the mid-twentieth century. At the two-acre site, archaeologists discovered evidence of extremely sophisticated manufacturing techniques.

October 14, 2017 – Indefinitely

Asian Art Museum, West Building
My Visit

Rediscovering Korea's Past: Korean Ceramics

Today we admire the translucent gray-green celadon glaze on Korean ceramics of the Goryeo period as one of the great achievements of world potters.

October 14, 2017 – Indefinitely

Asian Art Museum, West Building
My Visit

Afterlife: Ancient Chinese Jades

A construction boom in China more than a century ago resulted in new railways and factories—and the accidental discovery of scores of rich ancient cemeteries. Buried in these tombs for thousands of years were jewelry and ritual objects, all laboriously crafted from jade.

October 14, 2017 – Indefinitely

Asian Art Museum, West Building
My Visit

Looking Out, Looking In: Art in Late Imperial China

Many of the powerful emperors of China’s last dynasties—the Ming (1368–1644) and Qing (1644–1912)—were patrons, collectors, and casual practitioners of the arts. They used art to legitimize and glorify their rule. It served many functions: for state rituals, for expressing piety, to dazzle palace visitors, to build diplomatic relations, and for personal pleasure.

October 14, 2017 – Indefinitely

Asian Art Museum, West Building
My Visit

Engaging the Senses: Arts of the Islamic World

Every region, province, and even city developed its own artistic language with rich sensory resonances, many of which are explored in these galleries.

October 14, 2017 – Indefinitely

Asian Art Museum, West Building
My Visit

Center of the World: China and the Silk Road

This wealthy, worldly hub offered a ready market for exotic imports that local artisans translated into a Chinese style.

October 14, 2017 – Indefinitely

Asian Art Museum, West Building
My Visit

Body Image: Arts of the Indian Subcontinent

This exhibition explores concepts and aesthetics of the body. The theme of the body provides a portal for appreciating how India’s extraordinary culture is woven from distinctive but interrelated traditions.

October 14, 2017 – Indefinitely

Asian Art Museum, West Building