Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Don't Miss
Permanent Collection
Begin your artistic tour of Asia by taking a single-file escalator up to the top floor. The
curatorial concept is to follow the geographical path of Buddhism through Asia from the
top floor down, beginning with India and meandering toward Japan. By the time you've
cruised past rare Zoroastrian artifacts and splendid Javanese shadow puppets, all theolo-
gical quibbles will yield to astonishment. Sticklers may complain that South Asia gets one
gallery while the Chinese collection takes up two wings - but healthy cultural competition
has encouraged donations of South Asian artifacts lately.
Contemporary Shows
After covering three floors and 6000 years of artifacts, return to the modern era by way of
the rotating contemporary exhibits. In the 1st-floor corner gallery, contemporary artists re-
spond to a piece or a theme in the museum's collection. Rotating ground-floor exhibits
spotlight exceptional collections and groundbreaking artists. At Artists Drawing Club
events held upstairs in Samsung Hall and on the ground floor, visitors are invited to col-
laborate in an artist's art-making process.
Architecture
Italian architect Gae Aulenti's clever repurposing of the old San Francisco Main Library
building left intact the much-beloved granite bas-relief on the building's face, the entry-
way's travertine arches and the polished stone grand staircase indoors. She added two new
indoor courts for oversize installations, leaving plenty of room for debate and educational
programs - check the schedule for artists' demonstrations and hands-on workshops for
kids.
Top Tips
On Thursday nights (February to September, 5pm to 9pm), the Asian gets hip with Asian dub DJs and special
guests - lately, tattoo artists inking live, martial-art Olympians kicking with lethal force, and Iranian cuneiform
tablets inscribed with visitors' messages by artist Ala Ebtekar.
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