Arthur M. Sackler Gallery

The Arthur M. Sackler Gallery is an art museum of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., devoted to Asian art. Together with the physically connected Freer Gallery of Art, it forms the National Museum of Asian Art in the United States. The two galleries jointly house the largest Asian art research library in the country. Named after Arthur M. Sackler, who donated approximately 1,000 objects and $4 million toward its establishment, the Gallery opened in 1987. Its facilities are located on the south side of the National Mall, with 96 percent of the museum situated underground beneath the Enid A. Haupt Garden.

The origins of the Sackler Gallery trace to 1979, when Japanese Prime Minister Masayoshi Ohira visited the Freer Gallery of Art and announced that Japan would donate $1 million to the Smithsonian to assist in building an annex for Asian art display. On June 6 of that year, the United States Senate approved $500,000 for museums of Asian and African art. The South Quadrangle Project was removed from the Smithsonian's fiscal plan in June 1980, but resurfaced in 1981. On December 23, Congress approved $960,000 in federal funds for the new complex, marking the first time such funds were contributed on an unrestricted basis.

In 1982, Arthur M. Sackler donated approximately 1,000 Asian artworks and objects valued at $50 million, along with $4 million for a facility to house them, thereby founding the gallery that bears his name. Quadrangle construction began on June 22, 1982, and an additional $36.5 million in federal money was appropriated in October. Groundbreaking took place on June 21, 1983, with Chief Justice Warren E. Burger, Vice President George H. W. Bush, and Smithsonian Secretary S. Dillon Ripley participating. On February 21, 1984, Milo C. Beach was named scholarly director. The gallery opened on September 28, 1987; Arthur Sackler had died four months earlier. Washington, D.C. Mayor Marion Barry declared the day "Smithsonian Institution Day." Beach became acting director of both the Sackler and Freer in October 1987, and director of both in November 1988.

In March 2002, Islamic art scholar Julian Raby was appointed director of the combined galleries. In 2006, J. Keith Wilson became assistant director and curator of Chinese art. The Sackler celebrated its 30th anniversary in January 2012 with a $5 million gift from Sackler's widow. In 2018, the gallery was targeted by protesters accusing the Sackler family of contributing to the opioid epidemic in the United States.

The Sackler Gallery's collection has expanded considerably since its founding donation. Holdings now include the Vever Collection of Islamic manuscripts from the 11th to 19th centuries, Japanese prints and porcelain from the 19th and 20th centuries, paintings from China, India, Japan, and Korea, and contemporary Chinese ceramics and photographs. The museum shares its director, administration, and staff with the Freer Gallery, though it maintains its own exhibition spaces and storage for artworks.

The founding collection of approximately 1,000 objects donated by Arthur M. Sackler remains central to the gallery's identity. Subsequent acquisitions have significantly broadened its holdings. The Vever Collection of Islamic manuscripts, spanning the 11th through 19th centuries, represents a major scholarly resource. The collection of Japanese prints and porcelain from the 19th and 20th centuries, along with paintings from across East and South Asia, documents artistic traditions from multiple regions and periods. Contemporary Chinese ceramics and photographs form another significant area of collecting focus.

The Sackler Gallery occupies the Quadrangle Complex behind the Smithsonian Institution Castle, which it shares with the National Museum of African Art and the S. Dillon Ripley Center. The complex, designed by Jean Paul Carlhian, covers 115,000 square feet and is 96 percent underground. Carlhian's design employed geometric forms influenced by the Smithsonian Castle, the Arts and Industries Building, and the Freer Gallery of Art, using pink and gray granite to match the coloration of those structures. The Sackler Gallery itself is decorated with designs inspired by Islamic art.

A 4,130-square-foot granite pavilion in the Enid A. Haupt Victorian Garden serves as the entrance to the facility. A diamond-shaped fountain on the third and lowest floor can be viewed from the two upper levels. The publicly accessible sections of the Gallery cover 40,905 square feet. A tunnel connecting the Freer and Sackler galleries was begun in early 1987 and completed in 1989. The main entrance lies between the garden of the Smithsonian Castle and Independence Avenue.

The Arthur M. Sackler Gallery is located on the south side of the National Mall in Washington, D.C., directly behind the Smithsonian Institution Castle. As part of the Smithsonian Institution, it operates as a public museum. Its physical connection to the Freer Gallery of Art allows visitors to move between the two institutions. The gallery's website is http://www.asia.si.edu/.