Museum of East Asian Art

The Museum of East Asian Art (MEAA) is an art museum located in Bath, Somerset, England. It holds the distinction of being the only museum in the United Kingdom dedicated solely to the arts and cultures of East and Southeast Asia. Situated in a restored Georgian town house at 12 Bennett Street, just a few meters from the Circus, the institution offers an insight into the artistic traditions of China, Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia. Its collection of almost 2,000 objects ranges in date from approximately 5000 BCE to the present day, making it one of the most extensive collections of East Asian art outside London.

The museum was founded by Brian McElney OBE, a retired solicitor who practiced law in Hong Kong for over 35 years. Educated at Marlborough College, McElney qualified as a solicitor in London in 1956 before joining the Hong Kong firm Johnston Stokes & Master, where he became senior partner in 1971 and served as president of the Hong Kong Bar Association in 1973-1974. He began collecting East Asian art in 1958 with the purchase of an ivory goat and kid, gradually accumulating jades, ceramics, scholar's studio objects, and bronzes. After retiring from his legal practice in 1983, and later from his consultancy role in 1992, McElney sought to donate his collection to an existing museum. When these efforts proved unsuccessful, he decided in late 1989 to establish his own educational charity. He procured funds for the restoration and refurbishment of the Georgian building, founding the museum entity in 1990. The building was converted into a museum between 1991 and 1992, and McElney donated his private collection to the institution, which opened to the public in April 1993. He subsequently served as honorary curator, working daily at the museum until his retirement from the role in April 2010. Although the bulk of the objects derive from his original donation, the collection has been expanded through subsequent donations and acquisitions.

The museum's permanent collection spans nearly 7,000 years of artistic production, from approximately 5000 BCE to the contemporary era. Its holdings encompass ceramics, jades, bronzes, bamboo carvings, and other artifacts from China, Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia. The permanent displays are housed across the two upper galleries of the museum. The institution places a strong emphasis on education, creativity, dialogue, and research regarding these cultures, striving to reach the widest possible audience. Beyond its permanent displays, the museum maintains an active program of temporary exhibitions and quarterly events, including off-site activities and film festivals. In 2008, the museum received a Learning Experience Award for its Season of Tibet exhibition series, and a 2010 exhibition of contemporary papercuts coinciding with the Lunar New Year proved so popular it was extended. The museum has also participated in external partnerships, including a traveling exhibition organized by the National Geographic Society featuring nearly 100 items from the MEAA collection, which was visited by United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon during its Oman leg.

The museum is particularly renowned for housing one of the most comprehensive jade collections in the United Kingdom, which highlights the skill of East Asian craftsmanship. Another significant area of the collection is its Armorial Porcelain, located in the Ceramics Gallery. These pieces reflect the historical links between Bath and China, as the 18th-century English trade in Chinese tea and porcelain made Bath the second most popular resort after London for such commercial and social activities. By the mid-18th century, tea drinking had become central to the city's social life. The armorial porcelain on display was specifically made for prominent families in 18th-century Bath and the surrounding region. A highlight of this collection is the Pratt Family Tureen, which was acquired with funding from the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council, the Victoria and Albert Museum, and The Art Fund charity.

The museum is situated at 12 Bennett Street in central Bath, positioned just a few meters from the Circus, one of the city's most notable architectural ensembles, and not far from the Royal Crescent. The institution is housed in a restored Georgian town house. After the charitable organization purchased the property, the building underwent a transformation into a museum between 1991 and 1992, funded by McElney, to appropriately display the growing collection of East Asian artifacts.

The Museum of East Asian Art operates as a UK educational charity, registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales under number 328725. It attracts students, scholars, and tourists to its Bennett Street location. The museum's operations were notably disrupted on April 17, 2018, when four men broke into the building at 1:20 am and stole 48 objects, including 22 jades, 10 ceramics, and a Tang era marriage mirror. Due to the specific items taken and the speed of the burglary, police suspected the theft was commissioned to order. The museum closed following the incident and reopened to the public on May 3, 2018. In May 2019, Avon and Somerset police returned 18 of the stolen objects, though they had sustained damage.