The Asia Society is a national nonprofit, nonpartisan educational organization whose goal is to build awareness of the more than thirty countries broadly defined as the Asia-Pacific region - the area from Japan to Iran, and from Central Asia to New Zealand, Australia and the Pacific Islands.

Each department section below opens with an essay about the art of that geographic area. Links to many of the Asia Society's special exhibits are in the Major Cultures section of this web site.

1. South Asia Objects from South Asia in the Asia Society collection date from the 2nd century C.E. to the 18th century and come from the present-day countries of India, Pakistan, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. Each link connects to multiple artworks.

2. Himalayas The Asia Society collection of Himalayan art contains a number of recognized masterpieces and includes objects from Kashmir (located in northern India), Nepal, and Tibet. Each link connects to multiple artworks.

3. Southeast Asia Southeast Asian art in the Asia Society collection consists mainly of Hindu and Buddhist sculpture from Burma, Thailand, Cambodia, and Indonesia, although the museum's holdings range from a stunning bronze ceremonial axehead dating from 500-200 B.C.E. to 15th- and 16th-century Thai and Vietnamese ceramics. Each link connects to multiple artworks.

4. China and Mongolia Stretching from the deserts of Central Asia to the continent’s eastern seaboard, China is home to the world’s oldest continuous civilization. The Asia Society collection includes Chinese ceramics, bronzes, Buddhist sculpture, and paintings dating from the 3rd millennium B.C.E. to the 18th century C.E. Each link connects to multiple artworks.

5. Korea Korea is a mountainous peninsula on the far east of the Asian continent bordering both China and Russia to its north. Its closest neighbor to its southeast is Japan. It has been influenced by all these great cultures, but developed it's own unique artforms. Ten of the eleven objects from Korea in the Asia Society collection are ceramics, perhaps the best-known medium of Korean art in the West. Each link connects to multiple artworks.

6. Japan The Japanese objects in the Asia Society collection reflect the diversity of regional traditions, as well as the remarkable ability of the Japanese to transform foreign artistic stimuli into uniquely Japanese art forms. The earliest works are from 1,000 BC and cover all major periods until the 19th century. Each link connects to multiple artworks.