The MIA's collection of Asian art represents 17 Asian cultures spanning nearly 5,000 years. The Department of Asian Arts has benefited greatly from generous gifts from knowledgeable collectors. Augustus L. Searle, Alfred F. Pillsbury, Richard P. Gale, Louis W. Hill, Jr., and Ruth and Bruce Dayton have donated specialized collections of international reputation, including ancient Chinese bronzes, ancient and post-Sung jade, Chinese monochrome ceramics, Ukiyo-e paintings, Japanese prints, and classical Chinese furniture. In addition, highly regarded specialized collections of Ch’ing dynasty silk textiles, Miao textiles, and surimono prints have been built over the years.

The Department’s goal is to provide the public with a broad overview of Asian art. In 1998 the museum presented the Indian, Islamic, Himalayan, Southeast Asian, and Korean permanent collections.

An original reception hall from the late Ming dynasty and an 18th-century Suchou-area library are now in place.

The renowned collections of 17th- and 18th-century Chinese furniture, literati objects, and paintings have been acquired through the extraordinary generosity of Ruth and Bruce Dayton. While building these focused collections, the Daytons have strategically added important gifts of sculpture, ceramics, bronzes, gold, calligraphy, and Nanga painting.

On October 7, 2001, the Minneapolis Institute of Arts unveiled two historically based Japanese rooms: a formal audience hall (shoin) and a teahouse (chashitsu). Both structures are highly visible installations within the permanent galleries of Japanese art and serve to heighten awareness of the relationship between Japanese art and architecture. The rooms also address divergent aesthetic trends that arose during the 16th century in Japan: one that reflected the flamboyant tastes of Japan's warrior rulers, and the other that suggests the tea masters' admiration for the humble, simple, and rustic.

The rooms opened in a permanent installation called "Sumptuous and Sublime: Two Japanese Rooms," on Sunday, October 7. Gallery 222 houses the Audience Hall and 225 the Teahouse.

For more on this collection, visit The Art of Asia »

featured objects in this collection »

Learn about the Asian Art Curatorial Council »

Robert Jacobsen, Ph.D
Chair of Asian Art/Curator of Chinese, Indian, Himalayan, Southeast Asian and Islamic Art
Department: Chinese, Indian, and Southeast Asian Art
profile » (168KB .pdf)

Yuiko Kimura
Research Associate
Department: Japanese and Korean Art
profile » (132KB .pdf)

Matthew Welch, Ph.D
Assistant Director for Curatorial Affairs and Curator of Japanese and Korean Art
Department: Japanese and Korean Art
profile » (128KB .pdf)