The museum presents the paragons of painting, graphic art, sculpture, carpet weaving, woodcarving and other folk crafts of Japan, China, India, Tibet, Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Siberia.
The State Museum of Oriental Art is one of the oldest museums in this country and holds Russia’s largest exposition of the artworks of the Eastern peoples. It is not only a museum, but also a scientific and cultural center, which has its own theaters, a dance school, and an art studio. The State Museum of Oriental Art has the official status of "A most valuable cultural heritage object of Russia."
The Museum History
The State Museum of Oriental Art was founded in 1918. Its exposition included the items of Oriental art from private collections and the museums with a different profile, as well as materials of ethnographic expeditions that studied the art of the peoples of Siberia and Central Asia.

The museum repeatedly changed its premise until an old mansion in Nikitsky Boulevard was allocated for it in 1960. This historic building was known from the XVIII century, but later rebuilt by the famous architect Domenico Gilardi in the Russian Empire style.
The Museum Collections
The museum contains about 150 thousand exhibits from various countries of the East. Here you can see fans, flashlights, carved boxes and furniture, samples of stumpwork and antique porcelain from China, a collection of samurai swords and kimonos from Japan, and sculptures and fighting helmets from Korea.
Indian art is represented with exquisite sculptures of gods, the finest muslin fabrics and Bidriware, i.e. metalware handcrafted in the unique technique, which has no counterparts in the world. The art of the Northern peoples is represented with exquisite walrus tusk carvings and traditional hunting weapons. Coinage on silver and copper, daggers and ornate pistols of the Caucasian peoples are combined with multicolored felt items created in Central Asia.

In general, the State Museum of Oriental Art features national costumes and decorations, paintings, weapons, various household items, and devotional articles of Eastern peoples.
Numerous thematic excursions, intended for both adults and children introduce the public to the Oriental cultural traditions, life and art. Audio guides, non-stop films and special monitors dedicated to the history of one or another exhibit facilitate visitors in their independent tours of the enormous exposition.

Cultural Activities
The museum has the Indian Dance Theater, the Oriental Dance School, a children's drama school and an art studio where children study the art of painting, sculpting, and origami. To top it all, the museum hosts exhibitions of contemporary artists working in traditional oriental styles as well as Oriental tea ceremonies.
Where: the State Museum of Oriental Art at the address 12A, Nikitsky Blvd, next to metro station Arbatskaya, Moscow.
Open hours:
from 11 am to 8 pm on Tue, Fri – Sun;
from 12 am to 9 pm on Wed and Thu.
The official website of the museum
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