Ground Level

American Decorative Art
For more than two centuries the Peabody Essex Museum has collected American art. It now owns important collections of furniture, paintings, silver, glass, and textiles from New England. The distinctly American works found in the American Decorative Art gallery on the first floor of the museum demonstrate the emergence of a national identity and reflect the daily lives of men, women and children.

Maritime Art
The art in this gallery—from both historic and contemporary times—celebrates human encounters with the power and beauty of the sea. The Museum’s collection of maritime art from around the world is internationally renowned.

Korean Art

The Peabody Essex Museum was the first institution in America to collect the art of Korea. The collection emphasizes the late Chosun dynasty, particularly during the 18th and 19th centuries. Some works presented in the Korean Art Gallery are ceremonial, others personal; some were used at Court, and others were part of daily life. The collection was inaugurated with gifts from Yu Kil-Chun, a member of the first official delegation from Korea to the United States, who is remembered for his strong progressive leadership in a period of intensive change.

Asian Export Art: China
This gallery is devoted to art made in China for export to the West. The commerce, begun with ancient Asian trade routes, was greatly expanded by the advent of ocean-going vessels from Europe in the 16th century. Western markets sought spices, tea and luxury goods from countries including China, Japan and India. Customized porcelains, metalwork and other commodities were also in demand. Such export art fostered a cross-cultural exchange that continues today.

Idea Studios
Idea studios welcomes visitors of all ages, and includes an Art Studio, an Art and Nature Center, and a Media Studio. The Art Studio is a place for meeting artists, creating art, and participating in events and programs. The Art and Nature Center features interactive exhibits and related activities based on the museum’s collection. The Media Studio offers gallery guides, books, and the opportunity to explore art through new media.

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Second level map

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Level 2

The Chester and Davida Herwitz Gallery of Indian Contemporary Art
This gallery is the first American museum gallery dedicated to modern and contemporary Indian art. The gallery and collection were given to the Peabody Essex Museum by the late Chester and Davida Herwitz.

Indian Art
The museum’s collection of Indian art was begun in 1803, and represents the varied artistic styles and subjects, and the diversity of cultures in India over the past two centuries.

Oceanic Art

For countless generations, the artists of Polynesia, Melanesia and Micronesia have shared their traditions across immense distances. Early New England mariners became familiar with these island cultures beginning in the late 18th century. The museum’s collection of Oceanic art is internationally recognized for its breadth, aesthetic richness and early inception.

Native American Art
The Peabody Essex Museum houses the oldest ongoing collection of Native American art in this hemisphere, begun with the museum’s founding in 1799. The objects on view here include personal and ceremonial works. They are masterful expressions of individual and community vision. They reveal the vital role of art in the lives of Native American people. Today, the museum cultivates partnerships with Native American artists and communities to provide exhibitions, interpretation, publications, and programs.

Contemporary Native American Art
Drawn from the museum’s contemporary art collections, All of My Life: Contemporary Works by Native American Artists features art that embraces the experiences and worldviews of nine Native American artists. The installation of 10 works call upon and reinterpret both Native American painting and sculpting traditions that are thousands of years old as well as those of modern art. The artists in the exhibition include Mateo Romero, David Bradley, Truman Lowe, Barbara Cerno, Tammy Garcia, Dan V. Lomahaftewa, Judith Lowry, Rick Rivet and Kathleen Wall. All works were completed in the last decade.

Asian Export Art: Works On Paper
In this gallery, changing exhibitions of Asian art feature works on paper on themes such as botany, landscapes, and city life. Low light levels in the gallery help preserve these fragile works of art.

Japanese Art
This gallery presents a unique overview of the arts of Japan. Whether ancient or contemporary, these works demonstrate the diversity of aesthetic taste, ranging from understated to ornate, that is still a vibrant part of Japanese life. Among the varied themes you can explore here are “Spirituality,” “the Essence of Nature,” and “The World of Play.”

American Decorative Art
The works of decorative art in the American Decorative Art gallery on the second floor of the museum celebrate the lives and sensibilities of the people of New England. Shortly after European colonization began here, the region developed a distinctive historical and political character encompassing diverse artistic and cultural influences. As facts and myth merge to become history, that unifying sense of place and identity is constantly being renewed.

Chinese Art
This gallery presents changing exhibitions relating to the art of China and other parts of Asia. Installations feature previously unseen works from the museum’s collection, recent acquisitions, artworks borrowed from other collections, and also contemporary art.

Asian Export Art: China
This gallery is devoted to art made in China for export to the West. The commerce, begun with ancient Asian trade routes, was greatly expanded by the advent of ocean-going vessels from Europe in the 16th century. Western markets sought spices, tea and luxury goods from countries including China, Japan and India. Customized porcelains, metalwork and other commodities were also in demand. Such export art fostered a cross-cultural exchange that continues today.

Level 3

Photography
The Peabody Essex Museum has been collecting photography since the mid-19th century, when this new art form was gaining popularity worldwide. 19th-century photographs of Japan, China, India, Korea, and Southeast Asia constitute an artistic document of life in Asia before the sweeping changes of the 20th century. The museum’s holdings are especially strong in Asian, maritime, and architectural images. This gallery will present frequently changing photography exhibitions, including work by contemporary artists.

Asian Export Art: Japan
Starting in the 16th century, Japan created splendid silver, bronze sculptures, ceramics, and lacquerware for export to Europe. During the 1850s and 60s, the country experienced rapid and dramatic change. In 1854, Commodore Perry arrived and initiated Japan’s diplomatic and trade relations with the United States, greatly enhancing Western appreciation of Japanese art. As the samurai culture came to a close, Japan’s emphasis on traditional art shifted to making objects for new Western markets. At the same time, access to new technologies and design from the West inspired experimentation and innovation in Japan.

Asian Export Art: India
The Colonial presence greatly influenced India’s participation in the 18th- and 19th- century world market. British military leaders, who settled with their families in India, soon discovered the talents of local artists. They commissioned textiles, ceramics, decorative art and furniture to suit their mostly British lifestyle and accommodations, and frequently brought such works back to England with them. Soon Indian objects, especially textiles and furniture, were prized throughout Europe, where they were valued for their exceptional artistry, rare materials, and distinctive joinery.

Third level map

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East India Marine Hall

East India Marine Hall
East India Marine Hall is a National Historic Landmark, a designation reserved for the most important historic buildings in the United States. It was built in 1825 by the East India Marine Society, which founded this museum. President John Quincy Adams and other dignitaries attended the dedication ceremonies. The hall replaced the rented quarters where the society had displayed its collections from Asia, Africa, the Pacific Islands, and the Americas. The Hall features portraits of the society’s members as well as some of the cabinets and objects original to the room. Considered one of the most handsome rooms in New England, East India Marine Hall was the setting for the Society’s lively dinners and parties—a tradition the museum continues today.

Cotting Maritime Gallery
In three adjoining galleries on the first floor of East India Marine Hall, objects and images convey varied aspects of the American maritime experience. East India Marine Hall is the first permanent building of the Peabody Essex Museum.