MUSEUM FÜR ASIATISCHE KUNST - MUSEUM OF ASIAN ARTS

This museum, now located in the Humboldt forum in the Mitte district, is well worth a visit. It has exceptional collections. It is a presentation of the Indo-Asian cultural world, and its evolution from the 4th century to the present day. You will discover unique pieces from China, Japan, Southeast Asia, Central Asia (Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh) and South Asia (Indonesia, India and Sri Lanka). Between multiple wonders and true masterpieces, you can admire the superb and famous statues of Ghandara art from Afghanistan and Pakistan. They symbolize the encounters of Western and Eastern civilizations, later syncretized through art. A fascinating art that testifies to the commercial exchanges between East and West since the beginning of the Christian era. These were perpetuated by the famous Silk Roads. Buddhist paintings from the 4th century that once adorned the walls of the Mogao caves near Dunhuang in eastern China are now on display. They marked a stopover on one of the Silk Roads routes, leading to Xian. The rock art of these caves was one of the cornerstones influencing religious artistic style in Southeast Asia. They were looted on a very large scale by so-called Western explorers at the beginning of the 20th century, and brought back to Europe and the United States until the 1920s. Also sumptuous pieces born of Buddhist art testifying to the Indianization of Southeast Asia. These religious influences were allowed by the Buddhist monks' travels between Southeast Asia, India and Sri Lanka, and the Kingdom of Java. Their mission was to bring back the sacred scriptures of the Hindu religion and Buddha relics to their native land. Beautiful pieces of Japanese craftsmanship, superb lacquers, frescoes, paintings and ceramics from Southeast Asia are on display, as well as Ming, Song and successive dynasties of the Middle Kingdom, traditional outfits and Japanese kimonos, sculptures, and finally a Hindu Buddhist statuary: it would be too long to describe everything here... A must-see visit, then. Exciting exhibitions are organized on a regular basis. Workshops are organized for families and children.