The Smithsonian Freer Gallery of Art and neighboring Arthur M. Sackler Gallery together form the national museum of Asian art for the United States. The museums are located on the National Mall in Washington DC.
The collection in the Freer gallery
The Freer Gallery features a world-renowned collection of art from China, Japan, Korea, South and Southeast Asia, and the Near East that was donated to the Smithsonian by Charles Lag Freer, a wealthy 19th century industrialist. Paintings, ceramics, manuscripts, and sculptures are among the museum’s favorites. In addition to Asian art, the Freer Gallery houses a collection of American art from the 19th and early 20th centuries, including the largest number of works in the world by James McNeill Whistler (1834-1903).
The collection at the Arthur M. Sackler gallery
The Arthur M. Sackler Gallery features a unique collection that includes bronzes, jades, Chinese paintings and lacquers, Middle Eastern pottery and metal, and Asian sculptures. The gallery opened in 1987 to house more than 1,000 objects of Asian art donated by Dr. Arthur M. Sackler (1913-1987), a New York City medical researcher and medical editor. Sackler also gave $ 4 million for the construction of the gallery. Since 1987, the gallery’s collections have expanded to include 19th and 20th century Japanese prints and contemporary porcelain; Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean and South Asian painting; and sculpture and ceramics from Japan and South and Southeast Asia.
Public programs
Both the Freer Gallery and the Sackler Gallery feature a full calendar of public events, including films, lectures, symposia, concerts, book readings, and debates. Public tours are offered every day except Wednesdays and holidays. There are special programs for children and families, and workshops to help teachers incorporate Asian art and culture into their curriculum.
Location
The two museums are next to each other on the National Mall, next to the Smithsonian subway station and the Smithsonian Institution Castle. . Freer Gallery’s address is Jefferson Drive at 12th Street SW Washington DC. The Sackler Gallery address is 1050 Independence Avenue SW
Washington DC. The closest subway station is Smithsonian. See a map of the National Mall
Hours: Open every day except December 25. The hours are from 10 am to 5:30 pm
Gallery Gift Shops
The Freer Gallery and the Sackler Gallery each have their own gift shop offering a selection of Asian jewelry; ancient and contemporary ceramics and textiles; cards, posters and reproductions; recordings and a wide selection of books for children and adults on the art, culture, history and geography of Asia and other areas related to the museum’s collection.
The Freer and Sackler Library
The Freer and Sackler Galleries house the largest Asian art research library in the United States. The library’s collection consists of more than 80,000 volumes, including nearly 2,000 rare books. It is open to the public five days a week (except federal holidays).
Website : www.asia.si.edu
Nearby attractions
- Smithsonian Museums
- Washington Monument
- Holocaust Memorial Museum
- National Gallery of Art
- Engraving and Printing Office
