About the Collection
The Asian collection includes works from many eras and countries, including India, Pakistan, Iran, Nepal, Tibet, China, Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Thailand, Burma and Java. Among the strongest and most comprehensive, the Chinese collection begins with archaeological objects which explore ancient Chinese and Korean traditions of burial artifacts placed in tombs, including clay figurative sculpture and ancient pottery and bronze. The Museum’s oldest artifacts can be found in this area.
The evolution of Chinese ceramic development, including its culmination in porcelain, is explored in depth in the collection. Examples of jade carving from the Neolithic era to the 19th century are complemented by later bronze objects and cloisonné enamel from China and Japan. The collection features Chinese paintings from the 14th to the 20th centuries. In Japanese art, the collection features samurai armor, prints, screens, and paintings, along with several sets of Japanese armor and accessories. Contemporary works by Japanese ceramicists, a globally recognized phenomenon, augment the more historical works of Japan.
Religious works of art from Hindu and Buddhist traditions of several countries include gilded bronze sculpture and two complete shrines. Significant holdings in Sri Lankan Buddhist art distinguish the Museum’s collection nationally. A collection of Sino-Tibetan Buddhist bronzes represents nearly every Esoteric Buddhist deity. Other Buddhist works from Thailand, Burma and Java expand the representation of Buddhism’s broad spread across Asia.
American and Western American
The American and Western American collections feature art dating from the late 18th century to the early 20th century. Through the objects on view, we can trace the development and evolution of American artistic traditions through the early interest in portraiture to the prominence of landscape painting, and beyond.
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Contemporary
The contemporary art collection features cutting-edge contemporary works by living artists, from the mid-20th century to today. Representing works by artists working all over the world, the collection features diverse perspectives that illuminate the contemporary human experience.
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Fashion Design
The fashion design collection features nearly 6,000 objects of couture, accessories, and ephemera. Spanning nearly five hundred years, from the historical to the ultra-contemporary, the fashion design collection is one of the most unique of its kind in the world.
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Latin American
The Latin American art collection features more than 1,000 works from across North, Central and South America. From Spanish Colonial to contemporary works by living artists, the collection explores artistic traditions that are especially meaningful to our shared experience in a border region.
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Photography
Through a landmark partnership with the Center for Creative Photography at the University of Arizona, Phoenix Art Museum presents three annual exhibitions of photography to its community, drawn from the CCP’s unparalleled collection of historical and contemporary photography.
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Thorne Rooms
The Thorne Rooms provide a glimpse into replications of rooms found in America and Europe, at an exacting 1:12 scale. A beloved favorite of visitors of all ages, they have been painstakingly preserved for nearly a century.
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On view for a limited time, exhibitions present art from across the centuries and the globe, from iconic fashion to Old Master paintings, contemporary photography to historical objects of Asia.
MORECOLLECTIONS
Featuring more than 20,000 objects, the collection spans the globe, bringing the world to our city, and our city to the world.
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