Records of Honolulu Museum of Art
Founded in 1927 by Anna Rice Cooke, the Honolulu Museum of Art (formerly the Honolulu Academy of Arts) is an art museum located near downtown Honolulu, featuring a collection of over 50,000 works. The museum's major strengths are European and American paintings, graphic and decorative arts and the arts of Asia. It also has a Hawaiian collection, an Oceania collection, an Africa collection and a textiles collection.
What to offer tourists?
One of the world’s premier art museums, the Honolulu Museum of Art presents international caliber special exhibitions and features a collection that includes Hokusai, van Gogh, Gauguin, Monet, Picasso and Warhol, as well as traditional Asian and Hawaiian art.
The museum actually encompasses several building, scattered over 3.2 acres near downtown Honolulu; it features the Spalding House, the Doris Duke Theatre, the Robert Allerton Art Library, the Art School and the Shangri La Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art. The museum’s unique architecture makes for an idyllic backdrop for art; visitors can stroll from gallery to gallery past open-air landscaped courtyards (with splendid views of Diamond Head) and ponds before heading to the Pavilion Café.
Besides the exhibitions, there is a café, the Robert Allerton Art Library and a museum shop. Located in two of Honolulu’s most beautiful buildings, visitors can also enjoy two cafés, gardens, and films and concerts at the theater.
Tips and reminders
Honolulu Museum of Art Hours:
Tuesday-Sunday: 10am-4:30pm. Closed Mondays.
Closed on New Year's Day (Jan 1), Independence Day (July 4), Thanksgiving (fourth Thursday of November) and Christmas (Dec 25).
You can plan your visit by a Wakiki Trolley tour, or a scavenger hunt tour to enjoy the atmosphere here. Remember to bring sunglasses cause the sun can be quite unforgiving for the non-natives! Stay safe and stay classy!
