The online presentation of the collections of the Asia and Pacific Museum generally follows the widely accepted geographical divisions and focuses on East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Southwest Asia, and Oceania. Some deviations were made, however, to better showcase the Museum’s holdings. The Indonesian collection, which gave rise to the Museum, is presented separately from the rest of
the Southeast Asian artefacts.
Although geographically belonging to South Asia, Afghanistan is included in the Central Asian section, because of its distinct similarities with the countries of the region as regards culture, art, and crafts. The country is also populated by the same ethnic groups, a fact clearly reflected in the collection.
The Mongolian and Tibetan collections are grouped together under the umbrella term of Central and Eastern Asia, a region that barely exists in official geographical categorisations, yet has a coherent religious and cultural character shaped by Buddhism.
The Museum holds Poland’s only collection of pieces by Polish artists inspired by Asian art, culture and nature, as well as a photographic repository embracing pictures taken mostly by Polish researchers, journalists, reporters and travellers across Asia in the second half of the 20th century. A separate section allows users, including researchers from around the world, to explore manuscripts and printed volumes in high definition.
