Museum of Oriental Art

Lots of artifacts from West, Central-west, South, and East Asia are exhibited. Temporarily, the exhibition of Chiharu Shiota is being held. At 15:30, there was a long queue in front of MAO Museum. It will be better to get the tickets in advance or buy tickets inside in the early time of the day.

A serene and immersive journey through Asian art From the very first step, MAO welcomes you with an atmosphere of pure harmony. The natural light filtering through the glass canopy illuminates the zen gardens, creating a sense of calm that sets the tone for the entire visit. The museum is masterfully curated: each floor is dedicated to a different region—India and Southeast Asia, China, Japan, the Himalayas, and the Islamic world—arranged with a museographic clarity that feels both technical and poetic. What makes MAO unique is not just the richness of its collection but the atmosphere—quiet, luminous, and contemplative. Every gallery feels like a carefully orchestrated stage where light, space, and color guide your perception. It is less a museum and more a journey through time and culture, unfolding in silence and beauty. An absolute must-visit in Turin.

It was my favorite museum in Turin. I don’t know if the main collection is nice, but the temporary exhibition about Chiharu Shiota was really interesting and beautiful.

Overall, we had a wonderful experience at the museum. The temporary exhibition, The Soul Trembles, was amazing and immersive. Other than this, the permanent exhibitions of the arts are among the best we've encountered in Italy when it comes to art from Asia - not just Japanese and South Korea, but also covering othet sub-regions such as Central Asia and Southeast Asia. The museum's strength is in its diversity of collections and ability to provide good explanations of stylistic differences rooted in historical contexts. It's also housed within a beautiful building, and thus vey lovely to see Italian frescoes co-exist with Asian art. However, there are room for improvements. For instance, the visiting course guidance could be clearer as kt is sometimes confusing. We had to go back towards the end of a course because we realised we missed a room. The labels could also be placed in easier to read spots, as some are at the bottom of displys that are already low so you have to bend down to read. Last but not least, some labelings could be more detailed, such as "1-6: weapons" could have been expanded into the specific details of those weapons, both at stylistic and functional levels. You can easily finish the visit in 2 hours, and it is still still worth visiting as it's a gem just for the collection it has.

What a find. Great museum and very well laid out with useful information. Bonus of many clean toilets on every floor. Plan to take st least 2 hours here. The kimono special exhibit was very interesting.

The selection is not that various in permanent exhibition. I think there are a lot to improve in terms of curation of these exhibitions. Especially the information points are very detailed and tiring for reading, and are placed so often. However, I appreciate the effort putting together all the artworks. And not to forget, the building is incredible in terms of architecture.

I have just visited the Museum of Asian Art in Turin and was disappointed not to see a single piece of Chinese or Japanese porcelain. Considering the importance of porcelain in the artistic heritage of these cultures, its absence was surprising. I expected a broader and more representative collection. Overall, the visit did not meet my expectations.

Mind. Blown! What an amazing world Class Asian art museum. Some stunning Buddhas and bodhisattvas. Beautifully curated and lit and laid out. €10 entry well worth it. Very interesting and informative signage too lots to learn here. Go go go!