Asian Art Museum, San Francisco CA

It’s interesting to see the narrative and presentation. I like how cultural background on popular motif was given in the Chinese art section. That was very thoughtful and helpful. I take note that Indian culture influence was mentioned in the description of Chinese art. However, little to no credit was given to Chinese culture, and Indian culture vicariously, in the description of Japanese art.

Loved this place. I saw Takadhi Murakami’s work here and I was amazed at the other works on display as well.

Good place to visit. They have many exhibits from different Asian countries with contextual information, I was very happy to find similarities and also differences in relics. Very good educational efforts and special exhibits.

TLDR: great price to spend three hours looking at beautifully curated items

Came originally for Murakami which was a great exhibit (though the prices of merch are very high) but the other exhibits on floor 3 and floor 2 we spent over two hours in! Many other Asian art museums have mostly religious figures and while they have a lot of those here as well, they have other artifacts and items as well as feature some contemporary artists! Would allocate about three hours for the museum!

Always enjoy my visit to this gorgeous building originally built in 1917 as the SF public library. They do a great job bringing in fun/informative special exhibits. Nice gift shop. Take a moment to go half way up the front steps and read the inscriptions way up high.

Murakami was awesome but the security guards were talking on their walkie-talkies very loudly and then they closed the museum 3 hours early in case that rich people wanted to have a private party

Incredible experience. Well curated. Make sure you spend the whole day there to thoroughly enjoy every floor. The special exhibits are worth it.

. WARNING!

Before you consider visiting the San Francisco Asian Art Museum, you should know that it's not your typical art museum. It offers much more than you can imagine! This museum is a delightful experience for all ages, guaranteeing that everyone will have an enjoyable time.

Contrary to popular belief, the Asian Art Museum is not limited to statues and paintings. It is a treasure trove of breathtaking light installations, technological marvels, and interactive art. The museum showcases a diverse range of art forms that will captivate your senses and leave you in awe.

Gone are the days of passive observation; at the Asian Art Museum, you can actively engage with the art, making it an immersive and unforgettable experience. Whether you're a history buff, an art enthusiast, or simply curious, this museum has something for everyone.

Massive and excellent collection of Asian Art. Figure on needing about 3 hours to enjoy your visit.

I love the place, every time I find something new even on regular display. And "The heart of Zen " exhibit was great. We did not make it to the talk though. The Takashi Murakami exhibit was also great in a very different way.

Lots of exhibits from India, Thailand, China and Japan. Highly Recommended. More on our YouTube channel Uwe Grauert

I love museums and Asian Art Museum was one of the best museums I have ever visited. It had so many different artefacts from all over Asia and they were kept in a good condition.
The manager recommended us to start from 3rd floor and then come down every time. That was a clever idea and we went on a free day.
I really wish I had more time to view all the items kept on display. I’m planning to go again and enjoy the full experience.

This was the worst experience I ever went to Takash Mariami Museum most of the things that was in the gift shop like the shirts, hoodie keychain, and other accessory is just really cheap qualities was really high price and the quality of it is not good very cheap
Every time when they are having a special Special gift they will tell you you have to buy it online the ticket and every time when you have a question and you ask that Asian lady, the old Asian lady that was in the gift shop always dress nice I think she is like the supervisor or the manager. She always tell you that if you want the special gift you had to come early it will be crowded but there wasn’t even anybody there and it’s not even crowded. She just trying to hype it up so you buy ticket and get something that nobody even crowded for. Not just that it just really stupid that when you purchase a ticket online and you are a senior or a student you go over there and they tell you that you cannot get a student or senior discount because if you want that special gift you had to purchase the ticket full price and they wanna tell you that they have it on the website/flyer where you can’t even see it because of it’s really small And when you want a refund they would not let you said that the purchase is final sale so it’s not worth it just a rip off their call. Museum ones is OK but for the special events so like that, it’s not really worth it that Asian lady always hype up every single piece like it was really special and Limited when it’s not, it is my worst. Experiment I will never go back there again for anything. I Waste money on the trading card event Is the worst trading card ever? Don’t wish your money anymore just go there once look at the artwork and it’s good they will restock everything again and again

Fantastic impressive space to house this huge and important collection. The building is beautiful from the outside and inside with large display rooms and common areas. The special exhibits have a wide variety of styles. In general, the museum includes pieces both old and new.

Poorly organized. Poor communicators. For their 5 persimmon exhibit on Friday 12/8. With 3 days left they sold lots of admission tickets. Arrived on time. Stood in line an hour. To be told they were limiting access to member only- after an hour wait! What a lousy website.

Came here in Dec 2023 to see Takashi Murakami’s Monsterized humans exhibit and listen to Life in a Zen Temple: Lecture, Zazen, and Tea with Abbot Kobori Geppo, Saturday. What a great experience. Highly recommended if you see this review and the museum is still showing them you should visit. Wont disappoint for sure.

Based on my experience over a four-day period, scores of calls and several emails; all without. Response I must surmise the museum is no longer operating or everyone is out on strike.

I used to volunteer at this museum but the communication problems were never this bad.

VS