Arthur M. Sackler Gallery facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery

Established	1987 (1987)
Location	1050 Independence Ave SW, Washington, D.C., DC 20560, U.S.
Public transit access	Smithsonian

The Arthur M. Sackler Gallery is an art museum in Washington, D.C.. It is part of the famous Smithsonian Institution. This museum mainly shows art from Asia. The Sackler Gallery and the Freer Gallery of Art are connected. Together, they form the National Museum of Asian Art in the United States. They also have the largest library for Asian art research in the country.

The Gallery was started in 1982. It is named after Arthur M. Sackler. He gave about 1,000 art pieces to the museum. He also donated $4 million to help build it. The museum is located on the south side of the National Mall. It is connected to the Freer Gallery of Art. A large part of the museum (96%) is built underground. It sits below the beautiful Enid A. Haupt Garden.

How the Museum Began

In 1979, the Prime Minister of Japan, Masayoshi Ōhira, visited the Freer Gallery of Art. He announced that Japan would donate $1 million to the Smithsonian. This money was to help build a new section for Asian art. Later that year, the United States Senate agreed to give $500,000 for new museums. These museums would be for Asian and African art.

In 1981, the plan for the new museum complex was approved. Congress gave $960,000 for the project. This was special because it was the first time federal money was given without specific rules.

In 1982, Arthur M. Sackler gave about 1,000 Asian artworks to the Smithsonian. These pieces were worth about $50 million. Mr. Sackler also gave $4 million to build a place for these artworks. This is how the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery was founded. Construction began on June 22, 1982. More federal money, $36.5 million, was added to the project. The official groundbreaking ceremony happened on June 21, 1983. Important people like Chief Justice Warren E. Burger and Vice President George H. W. Bush attended.

The gallery opened its doors on September 28, 1987. Sadly, Arthur Sackler passed away four months before the opening. To celebrate, Washington, D.C. Mayor Marion Barry declared the day "Smithsonian Institution Day." In 2002, Julian Raby, an expert in Islamic art, became the director of both the Sackler and Freer galleries.

In January 2012, the Sackler Gallery celebrated its 30th anniversary. Arthur Sackler's widow gave a gift of $5 million for this occasion.

The Building's Design

The grand staircase at the Sackler.

The Sackler Gallery is part of the Quadrangle Complex. This complex is located behind the Smithsonian Institution Castle. It shares the space with the National Museum of African Art. The complex is mostly underground, covering about 115,000 square feet. It was designed by Jean Paul Carlhian. His goal was to connect different underground buildings.

The design uses geometric shapes. These shapes were inspired by the Smithsonian Castle and the Freer Gallery of Art. Pink and gray granite were used. These colors match the older buildings. The Sackler Gallery is right next to the Freer Gallery of Art. Its decorations are inspired by Islamic art. A large granite entrance pavilion was built in the Enid A. Haupt Victorian Garden. This pavilion is about 4,130 square feet.

Inside, a diamond-shaped fountain is on the lowest floor. You can see it from the two upper levels. A tunnel connecting the Freer and Sackler galleries was built in 1987 and finished in 1989. The parts of the gallery open to the public cover about 40,905 square feet.

Amazing Art on Display

Exhibitions at the Sackler Gallery focus on Asian art and culture. In 1992, two exhibitions opened. They showed metalwork and ceramics from ancient Iran. They also displayed Buddhist and Jain sculptures from South Asia.

In 1993, an exhibition called "Contemporary Porcelain from Japan" was held. It showed 30 works by 30 Japanese artists. These works were donated by the Japan Foundation. The first exhibition on Korean art took place in 1994. It was called "Korean Arts of the Eighteenth Century: Splendor and Simplicity."

Ancient sculptures from Jordan

In 1996, the Sackler hosted the oldest sculptures found in Western Asia. These sculptures were found in 1974 near Amman, Jordan. They were sent to Washington, D.C., for study and care. The exhibition, "Preserving Ancient Statues From Jordan," showed eight pieces. They dated from 6500 to 7000 B.C. In 1997, "King of the World: A Mughal Manuscript from the Royal Library, Windsor Castle" was shown. It featured the "Padshahnama" Mughal manuscript. This manuscript is owned by the British Royal Family.

In 2011, the Shahnama was on display. This exhibition was called "Shahnama: 1000 Years of the Persian Book of Kings." Another exhibition in 2011 focused on photographs of Empress Dowager Cixi. These photos were taken by a diplomat's son, Yu Xunling. The Sackler also showed "Ancient Iranian Ceramics" in December 2011. This exhibit featured pieces that are about 3,000 years old.

The Gallery has also shown art from the Louvre museum. It has displayed paintings by Chang Dai-chien. It has also featured photographs about orientalism and colonialism in India. Modern artists like Hai Bo and Ai Weiwei have also had their work shown.

The Gallery also has many changing exhibitions. Some recent ones include:

• Yoga: The Art of Transformation
• Chigusa and the Art of Tea
• Kiyochika: Master of the Night (showing Japanese artist Kobayashi Kiyochika)
• An American in London: Whistler and the Thames (showing American artist James McNeill Whistler)

You can find a full list of all past, current, and future exhibitions on the Freer|Sackler exhibitions page.

Special Collections

Besides Arthur Sackler's original gift, the Gallery has other important collections. The museum holds Chinese, Indian, Korean, and Japanese paintings. It also has photography, modern ceramics from China, and Japanese prints from the 1800s and 1900s.

Sackler's Founding Collection

The first collection, with about 1,000 objects, was given by Arthur M. Sackler. This collection includes ancient and modern pieces. You can see Near Eastern metalware and ceramics. There are also sculptures from South and Southeast Asian. Plus, there are Chinese jade and bronze pieces, and Chinese lacquerware and paintings.

The Vever Collection

In 1986, the Sackler acquired the Vever Collection. This collection has Persian and Islamic paintings and manuscripts. They were collected by a jeweler named Henri Vever between 1900 and 1943. The Vever Collection has some of the best Persian books.

Taking Care of Art

The Department of Conservation and Scientific Research works for both the Freer and Sackler Galleries. It was the first Smithsonian center to use science to study art. It is still one of the few places in the U.S. that specializes in caring for Asian paintings.

Caring for the art started even before the museums existed. Charles Lang Freer, who founded the Freer Gallery, hired Japanese art restorers. They cared for his artworks and prepared them for the Smithsonian. In 1932, the Freer Gallery hired a full-time Japanese restorer. This started the East Asian Painting Conservation Studio.

In 1951, the Technical Laboratory began. This was the first time scientific methods were used to study art at the Smithsonian. In 1990, the East Asian Painting Conservation Studio and the Technical Laboratory joined together. They formed the Department of Conservation and Scientific Research.

One project in 2009 involved using special lasers. Conservators used them to study ancient Chinese gold objects. This helped them find the "fingerprints" of the gold.

Learning and Research

The Sackler Gallery offers lectures and talks to the public. It also publishes an art history journal called Artibus Asiae with the Museum Rietberg in Zürich.

The Freer and Sackler galleries, along with a center in Japan, give out the Shimada Prize. This award is for great research in East Asian art history. It was started in 1992. The Sackler can also trade art objects with other museums. This is something the nearby Freer Gallery of Art cannot do.

Several fellowships are also available. These help graduate students and visiting scholars. They include the Andrew W. Mellon Fellowship and the Iran Heritage Foundation (IHF) Fellowship for Persian art.

Connecting with Visitors

Exhibition at the Sackler, 2006

The Sackler has hosted many celebrations and events. These events are all about Asian art and culture. In 1989, the Gallery held its first series of events. It was a two-month celebration of Persian art and culture. Musician Dariush Dolat-shahi performed. There were also workshops, lectures, and other performances.

Events often match the themes of current exhibitions. For example, in 2011, Azar Nafisi and Dick Davis discussed women in the Shahnameh. This was part of an exhibition on the 1,000-year-old Persian poem.

Special Initiatives

The Sackler, Freer, and the Metropolitan Center for Far Eastern Studies created the Shimada Prize. This $10,000 prize is given every two years. It honors scholars of East Asian art.

In 2011, the Sackler and Freer received a big gift from Jahangir Amuzegar. This gift created two special funds. One fund is for a yearly celebration of the Persian holiday of Nowruz. The other is to build a collection of modern Iranian art. This was the largest gift focused on Persian art for the Sackler and Freer. It was also one of the biggest Asian art donations ever given to the Smithsonian.

See also

In Spanish: Galería Arthur M. Sackler para niños