Buckle in, because I have quite a few things to say about the Asian Art Museum.
To keep my thoughts organized, I will start with the positives. The building is wonderful. It is a remodeled and expanded version of the old Main Library and I think they've kept the original architecture in fine condition. I was also surprised by how many interactive areas and live events they were offering at the time of my visit. I saw readings for all ages, arts & crafts for the children, mahjong tables, meet & greets, and book signings, the schedule full until closing. Maybe it was because I visited on a free Sunday, but it really seems like you get more than what you pay for in this category- you don't just get the art, but an *experience* as well. This is outstanding when I think of other museums that offer little else to see outside of their collections. Lastly, the galleries are well organized. They mainly split the rooms by region and era, which make the displays flow easily. Of course, the place is well maintained and modern, and the staff were incredibly helpful when I asked them questions.
My favorite part of the museum had to be the contemporary art, which I admit I have a bias for. I loved their most recent installation, Covering Letter by Jitish Kallat, which takes up an entire room. I had actually been waiting to see it before I came! I’m a space nerd, and I loved experiencing the Golden Record and its contents in a new, contemplative way.
With all this being said, I was close to giving the Asian Art Museum 3 stars at first.
Indeed. One thing that was very apparent to me was the almost incomplete state of the museum when I visited. They had a ticket discount in September while some exhibitions were under construction, but I do not know if it has carried into this month. While I was lucky enough to visit for free, I think it should have. There were a noticeable amount of collection gallery pieces missing from their spots, and entire exhibitions are still in progress or blocked off. It didn’t feel like I was getting a full visit, which was a let down. Second, a lack of diversity in their collection gallery (aka their permanent/historical collection). Listen, perhaps I’m too patriotic, but when I only saw one, maybe two Philippine artifacts at MOST, I was extremely disappointed. I understand they cannot represent every single Asian culture, but when some countries get multiple rooms (such as India and China) and others get a corner, not even that, it feels… unfair, unrepresentative of the full scope of Asia and its art/history, especially when you’re leaving out whole nations. It didn’t make sense to me. There was not only a lack of Filipino representation, but also a lack of Vietnamese, Laotian, Pakistani, even Korean representation, somehow… Why call yourself an Asian Art Museum if you are not really going to represent Asia?
Don’t get me started on the insane amount of Buddhist art. I have nothing against that religion and I think the art was masterful, but it was odd how that genre took up, like, 50% of the collection gallery. It got to the point where I had to start skipping some of it. There is room for more variety in my opinion.
A few smaller complaints such as one of their escalators not working and their gift shop being overpriced apply, but that is where my biggest problems end. Overall, if the Asian Art Museum improves in these areas, I think it could be a worthy candidate for a “must-visit” title, but I just don’t see it that way right now. It is close, though. Overall, 4/5.
