The National Museum of Asian Art has over 45,000 artworks from across Asia. Enjoy some of the finest on a free, docent-led tour and learn about commonalities and differences in cultures, aesthetics, and ideas.
Public Tour Topics
Permanent Collection Highlights Tour
Seven days a week at 1:00 p.m.; meet at the Freer information desk
Celebrate our museum’s centennial with a tour featuring Charles Lang Freer’s collection of Asian and American art. Join our docents on an interactive journey to explore the highlights of the museum’s outstanding collections, including the famous Peacock Room. No reservation needed.
A Special Exhibition Tour – A Splendid Land: Paintings from Royal Udaipur
Selected Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays at 3:00 p.m.; meet at the Sackler information desk
Immerse yourself in the ambience of an Indian city with a docent-led tour of the special exhibition A Splendid Land: Paintings from Royal Udaipur. The exhibition features paintings commissioned by Udaipur’s royal court between the seventeenth and the nineteenth centuries. Join the tour of Udaipur’s painted world and experience the moods of its court ceremonies, festivities, hunting grounds, and temples. No reservation needed. Please visit the museum’s event calendar for details.
Sketch & Discover Tour
11 a.m.–12 p.m., first Sunday of every month; meet at the Freer information desk
We read books about the art we love, and we can explore so many materials online. But how much time do we get to spend with objects in person? And how will we see those objects differently when we use a pencil and a sketchbook—not because we are artists but because sketching can help us see and understand art traditions and artworks in a different way?
Join docent Sushmita Mazumdar every first Sunday of the month as she guides you to use pencil and paper to consider the unique ideas and expressions of Asian artists from various traditions spanning the continent across centuries. All materials will be provided. No reservation needed.
Reserved Group Tours
You can schedule a private on-site tour for a group of ten or more visitors by going to the on-site tour request form. Please use the Notes section if you would like to customize your tour to feature specific topics or a special exhibition. We also offer these tours in other languages: Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Hindi, Spanish, and Cantonese.
