Museum of Asian Art Corfu

About the museum

The museum was founded in 1928 as the Museum of Sino-Japanese Art, prompted by the donation of the Sino-Japanese collection of Grigorios Manos. It later attracted many further donations, and today comprises around 15,000 objects of Asian art from private collections. The donation by Chatzivasileiou in 1973, with 400 works from India, Pakistan, Tibet, Siam and South-East Asia, was of particular importance.

The museum is housed in the Palace of St Michael and St George, the largest building of the period of the United States of the Ionian Islands (1815–1864). The palace was commissioned by the High Commissioner Sir Thomas Maitland and designed by Sir George Whitmore in the neoclassical Regency style. The sculptural decoration was carried out by the Corfiot sculptor Pavlos Prosalentis. The building was also the seat of the Order of St Michael and St George.

The building suffered severe damage in the Second World War and the Greek Civil War, and in the 1950s the monumental halls were restored. The museum’s collections are divided into Chinese art (about 3,500 objects), Japanese art (about 6,200), art of South and South-East Asia, of Nepal and Tibet, and art of the nomads of Central Asia (about 200 objects). Rare works from the collections are also shown at international exhibitions.

Highlights

• The only museum of Asian art in Greece
• Around 15,000 objects from China, Japan, India, Tibet and Central Asia
• Neoclassical Palace of St Michael and St George
• Multilingual audio guide with Braille signage
• 360° virtual tour on the website

Permanent exhibitions

• Συλλογή κινεζικής τέχνης – About 3,500 objects, mainly from the Manos collection: ceramics, porcelain, brassware, sculptures, enamels, lacquerware, ivory works, garments and jewellery.
• Συλλογή ιαπωνικής τέχνης – The collection comprises about 6,200 objects of Japanese art.
• Συλλογές τέχνης Νεπάλ, Θιβέτ, Νοτιοανατολικής Ασίας και νομαδικής Κεντρικής Ασίας – Works from India, Gandhara, Siam, Cambodia, Nepal and Tibet, as well as about 200 objects of the art of the nomads of Central Asia.

Founded

1928

Operated by

Υπουργείο Πολιτισμού – Μουσείο Ασιατικής Τέχνης Κέρκυρας

Director

Δέσποινα Ζερνιώτη

Admission & discounts

Free admission: 6 March, 18 April, 18 May, the last weekend of September, 28 October and every first and third Sunday of the month from 1 November to 31 March.

Free admission is also available, among others, to journalists, guides, members of ICOM and ICOMOS and recipients of the Social Solidarity Income, with the required documents.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description

The museum has ramps outside and inside, a lift to the exhibition areas and specially designed toilets. For visitors with visual impairments, a multilingual audio guide is offered, combined with digital signage and short captions in Braille.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

The museum is in the historic centre of Corfu, in the Old Palace, about 5 minutes on foot from the Esplanade.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop
• Wi-Fi

WiFi is available. The museum shop sells postcards, posters, notebooks, stationery and publications on the collections and the palace.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit