Freer Gallery of Art

The Freer Gallery of Art is a museum on the National Mall that displays over 26,000 pieces of Asian art in a neoclassical granite building. Its collections span ceramics, textiles, ink paintings and other objects from across the Asian continent.

Charles Lang Freer, a Detroit industrialist, founded the museum in 1923 to share his private collection of Asian and American art with the public. The building was specially constructed to house the artworks in a setting designed for their display.

The collection includes Chinese scroll paintings, Korean ceramics and Japanese folding screens that offer visitors insight into different artistic traditions. Persian manuscripts and Buddhist sculptures show further dimensions of Asian art on permanent display throughout the galleries.

Admission is free and the museum receives around 389,000 visitors each year. Educational programs and guided tours are offered regularly and help visitors understand the artworks on display.

The Peacock Room, acquired in 1904, is a fully preserved London dining room featuring decorative paintings by James McNeill Whistler from 1876. Whistler designed the space with golden peacocks on blue walls after a dispute with the original patron over the project.

Location: Washington, D.C.

Inception: 1923

Founders: Charles Lang Freer

Architects: Charles A. Platt

Fee: No

Operator: Smithsonian Institution

Part of: National Museum of Asian Art

Address: Independence Avenue Southwest

Opening Hours: Maandag-Vrijdag 10:00-17:30; december 25 off

Phone: +1(202)6331000

Website: https://asia.si.edu

GPS coordinates: 38.88833,-77.02750

Latest update: December 13, 2025 23:29