Arts of Asia

The Arts of Asia Gallery features an outstanding selection of objects representing the diverse cultures of Asia. The diverse cultures of Asia are represented after 1000 CE, spanning the China, Japan and Korea, Indonesia and Thailand, Turkey and Iran, as well as introducing aspects of Central Asia including India, Nepal and Tibet.

Arts of Asia Gallery at Auckland Museum
LEVEL ONE

Auckland Museum's Asian decorative art and art collection is widely considered one of the finest and most comprehensive collections in New Zealand. Featuring some 7,000 objects, the collection offers a staggering breadth of material culture from the Neolithic period to the present day.

Most of the works on display are functional wares, informed by an aesthetic that emanates from the natural world and seeks to achieve a balance between humankind, nature and the cosmos.

Arts of Asia Gallery at Auckland Museum

Arts of Asia considers the rich diversity found within existing traditions, the import and export of objects and ideas, and the development of symbols, motifs, and language in the object arts. We hope this gallery provides an occasion to capture an account of the material creativity of Asian decorative art and art centred on objects made for social, domestic, ritual or contemplative use.

The collection represents what people at various periods of the Museum's history, including patrons and curators, have considered most important. Arts of Asia also reflects the interests of individual connoisseurs and collectors.

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