Explore this interactive map. Zoom-in on high resolution details and discover English translations of the classical Chinese text and synopsis by scholars.Explore this interactive map. 

The River deity Ganga, approx. 800–900. India; Madhya Pradesh or  Rajasthan state. Sandstone. The Avery Brundage Collection, B69S3.

Chin-Sung Chang, Associate Professor in the department of archaeology and art history at Seoul National University, gives a talk on the splendors of the royal family in late Joseon dynasty court paintings in conjunction with the In Grand Style: Celebrations in Korea Art During the Joseon Dynasty exhibition at the Asian Art Museum.

Asian Art Museum storyteller Miriam Mills tells a New Year story from Vietnam in the Southeast Asian galleries of the Asian Art Museum.

Explore this interactive map.

Calligrapher Cai Xingyi writes an excerpt from the Thousand-Character Classic in semicursive script. The Thousand-Character Classic in clerical script, written by calligrapher Wen Peng (1498–1573) will be on view at the Asian Art Museum during the exhibition, Out of Character: Decoding Chinese Calligraphy (October 5, 2012–January 13, 2013).

Thumri, a light vocal classical music genre is said to have evolved in North India in the mid-19th century court of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah of Lucknow to accompany the kathak dance form, one of the eight major classical dance forms of India. This program presented by Pandit Rai and Sinha evokes the court ambience of 19th-century and early 20th-century India with a fully choreographed performance of dance, music, and storytelling, depicting the close interaction between these two major art forms. 

Thumri, a light vocal classical music genre is said to have evolved in North India in the mid-19th century court of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah of Lucknow to accompany the kathak dance form, one of the eight major classical dance forms of India. This program presented by Pandit Rai and Sinha evokes the court ambience of 19th-century and early 20th-century India with a fully choreographed performance of dance, music, and storytelling, depicting the close interaction between these two major art forms. 

Ayomi Yoshida and her assistants install "Yedoensis" at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco during the exhibition, Flower Power (June 23 to Oct. 1, 2017). 

Asian Art Museum volunteer Sandon Chin shot and edited this timelapse video of artist Lee Kang Hyo's demonstration of Korean buncheong pottery.

Today's Special Series Title: 31 Flavors Invading Japan, by Masami Teraoka (Japanese, born 1936), 1982. Woodblock print; colors and watercolor on Hosho paper. Acquisition made possible by Richard Beleson and Kim Lam Beleson, 2004.22.

Join us for a traditional wedding ceremony at the museum as part of In Grand Style: Celebrations in Korean Art during the Joseon Dynasty. The Asian Art Museum in collaboration with the Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation presents a special reenactment of an elite class (yangban) wedding, illuminating the elaborate procedures involved in this ceremony. The reenactment will illustrate how celebrations in Korea's royal court influenced those of the elite class during the Joseon dynasty (1392–1910), as well as reveal a centuries-old tradition that continues in Korea today.

Two-tiered chest with stand, approx. 1800-1850. Korea. Lacquered wood with mother-of-pearl inlay. Gift of Evelyn B. McCune in memory of George McAfee McCune, 1992.30.1-.3.

Kevin Simmonds reads a poem he wrote in response to the exhibition Phantoms of Asia: Contemporary Awakens the Past (on view at the Asian Art Museum from May 18–September 2, 2012). This presentation was part of MATCHA. Co-presented by Litquake.

A short documentary about one of India's most sacred cities, Varanasi.

Vase with cover (hu). China; Central Plains. Western Han dynasty (206 BCE–9 CE). High fired ceramic with molded low-relief and painted decoration. The Avery Brundage Collection, B60P2391.

Learn about the Hindu deity Vishnu and his avatar Krishna, and hear a story about Krishna defeating the serpent Kaliya.

Daniel Byers discusses the Himalayan Kingdom of Mustang during the PechaKucha Night at the Asian Art Museum.

Carl Gellert, PhD Candidate, UC Berkeley, discusses art and artifacts from Japan at the Japan Teacher Institute at the Asian Art Museum in partnership with the University of California at Berkeley History–Social Science Project.

Asian Art Museum Associate Curator of South Asian Art, Natasha Reichle, gives the Asian Art Museum docents a tour of the latest rotation of objects in the museum's Southeast Asia galleries. The galleries feature works of art in the museum's collection from Bali, which complement the exhibition, Bali: Art, Ritual, Performance, on view at the Asian Art Museum from February 25-September 11, 2011.

Hear Christian Cabuay, artist and author of An Introduction to Baybayin and Julie Seltzer, artist and Torah scribe-in-residence at the Contemporary Jewish Museum, share their perspectives. A multimedia collaboration between the Asian Art Museum and the Contemporary Jewish Museum.

Jeffrey Durham, Associate Curator of Himalayan Art at the Asian Art Museum answers the question What is a mandala? at the entrance to the exhibition, Enter the Mandala at the Asian Art Museum.

The Sikh religion arose in Punjab, a region that is now divided between India and Pakistan. Its followers consider themselves disciples of ten esteemed gurus, or teachers, the first of whom was Nanak (1469–1539), Sikhism’s historical founder. Although Hindu by birth, Nanak also embraced aspects of Muslim teachings, later proclaiming, “There is no Hindu, there is no Muslim.”

In conjunction with the exhibition, Gorgeous, staff of the Asian Art Museum challenged people to discuss extremes and ambiguities extending beyond conventional notions of beauty to be perceived as gorgeous.

Asian Art Museum Art Speak interns use wheatpasting techniques to publicly display copies of their woodblock prints on the (de)appropriation wall.

White phoenix on a pine tree (approx. 1920-1940), by Kamisaka Sekka (1866–1942). Japan. Hanging scroll; ink and colors on silk. The Avery Brundage Collection, 1995.50

Willow Tree, approx. 1800-1900. By Otagaki Rengetsu (1791–1875). Japan. Hanging scroll, ink on paper. Gift of the Connoisseur’s Council and J. Sanford and Constance Miller, The Avery Brundage Collection, 1990.213

Wood Gatherer, by James Jean (Taiwanese, born 1979), 2008. Blue pencil and digital print. Gift of Yoko Woodson, 2009.3.1-2.

Asian Art Museum Art Speak interns discuss India and identity with artist and animator Sanjay Patel.

Learn about the worship of the Goddess in South Asia.

How does language define culture? What does it mean to strip meaning from language? The art of Xu Bing raises these stirring questions. Globally known for his contemporary and dynamic style, the renowned Chinese artist made a special appearance at the Asian Art Museum to talk about influences on his art, specifically his works since 2008.

Ann Dyer mines the exhibition, Yoga: The Art of Transformation, to create a sensory performance that calls on the power of voice, word and sound expressed in yoga philosophies and texts throughout the ages.

Dyer, Director of the Vak Choir of "everyday" voices, finds inspiration in the vast array of usages of sound that span the yoga tradition — including Vedic mantra, Tantric bija mantras, kirtan, naada yoga, sanskrit, and the roots of classical Indian music — to create contemporary works that reconnect participants and audience alike with the innate power of sound as a tool of transformation.

Curators from the Asian Art Museum and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution discuss concepts of yoga and the artworks in the exhibition, Yoga: The Art of Transformation (on view at the Asian Art Museum from Feb. 21–May 25, 2014).  Available on iTunes U.

Zhang Jianjun's work, Vestiges of a Process: Shanghai Garden, is on view at the Asian Art Museum from February 5 - September 12, 2010. Vestiges of a Process: Shanghai Garden is situated closest to Lee Gallery the east side of North Court. It is an installation composed of two silicone rubber Taihu rocks, manufactured from molds of real Taihu rocks which in traditional garden culture are prized for providing city dwellers with a kind of symbolic access to nature. The rocks are accompanied by a silicone rubber vase. Together they are arrayed atop a pavement of gray antique bricks, acquired from the demolition of Shanghai houses constructed between 1923 and 1926. Visitors can walk between the rocks, reflecting on time and process.

Asian Art Museum Art Speak interns create zines based on their perspectives on place and identity.