Dowse Art Museum, Contemporary art museum in Lower Hutt City, New Zealand.

The Dowse Art Museum is a municipal art gallery in Lower Hutt, occupying a stand-alone building next to other council facilities; the building was completely remodelled in 2013. Its holdings focus on New Zealand artists of national and local significance, and the museum also houses Nuku Tewhatewha, a carved Māori storehouse.

The museum was founded in 1971, named after Percy Dowse who served as mayor from 1950 to 1970 and his wife Mary. Mary was instrumental in advocating for public art spaces, helping establish this institution as a cultural center for the community.

The collection features works by Ralph Hotere, Colin McCahon, and Gordon Walters, reflecting major movements in New Zealand art. These pieces help visitors understand how local artists shaped contemporary artistic expression in the region and beyond.

Visits are possible most days of the week except Mondays, and arriving early helps you explore the multiple levels without feeling rushed. The building has elevators and accessible facilities throughout, making it easy for all visitors to move between galleries.

Nuku Tewhatewha is the only surviving one of about seven pataka (storehouses) commissioned by Te Āti Awa chief Wi Tako Ngātata as "pillars" of the early Māori King movement. Built around 1853 at Naenae and carved by a nephew of Te Heuheu Tūkino IV, it was given to the gallery in 1982 by Hugh Beetham, whose family had cared for it since 1856.