© dpa
Weekend Tips: What to Do This Weekend in Berlin
October 16 to 18, 2026: Events, festivals, exhibitions and more things to do for your perfect weekend in Berlin. more
Friends for the Arts of East Asia in Berlin
On the Centennial of the Establishment of Gesellschaft für Ostasiatische Kunst
Kōda Ryōkō Suenobu (oder Kōda Yoshiyasu Toshinobu, 1722 – ? nach 1783), Der Weisheitskönig Gōzanze Myōō, Detail, aus einem Set der Fünf Großen Weisheitskönige (Godai Myōō), Japan, Edo (Tokyo), Edo-Zeit, datiert 1783, Hängerollenfragment, Tusche, Gold und – Kōda Ryōkō Suenobu (oder Kōda Yoshiyasu Toshinobu, 1722 – ? nach 1783), Der Weisheitskönig Gōzanze Myōō, Detail, aus einem Set der Fünf Großen Weisheitskönige (Godai Myōō), Japan, Edo (Tokyo), Edo-Zeit, datiert 1783, Hängerollenfragment, Tusche, Gold und Farben auf Seide
© Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Museum für Asiatische Kunst, Dauerleihgabe der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Ostasiatische Kunst, DLG
In 1926 the Gesellschaft für Ostasiatische Kunst (Society for East Asian Art, GOK for short) was established as the first society of Friends of the Ostasiatische Kunstsammlung (East Asian Art Collection), a forerunner of the Museum für Asiatische Kunst. This temporary presentation drawn from museum holdings and long-term loans from the collection of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Ostasiatische Kunst (German Society for East Asian Art, DGOK for short), re-established and named in the spirit of the former society in 1990, celebrates 100 years of engagement with and for the arts of East Asia in Berlin by members of the civilian society.
In the 1920s the Friends supported the museum in many ways: by underwriting acquisitions, loans from members’ collections, advice and feed-back as well as by organising major presentations of East Asian Art such as the Ausstellung Chinesischer Kunst (Exhibition of Chinese Art) in 1928 and Japanische Malerei der Gegenwart (Contemporary Japanese Painting) in 1931, both displayed at Akademie der Künste located at Pariser Platz. They contributed to the publishing expenses of the journal “Ostasiatische Zeitschrift” which had been initiated by the first museum curator-director, Otto Kümmel (1874 – 1952) and his assistant, the scholar William Cohn (1880 – 1961), The Friends officially took over the role of editor when the latter’s names had to be dropped after the Nazi rise to power, because Cohn was Jewish. Fascist rule was disastrous for the society of Friends, and even more so for many of its Jewish members who suffered from persecution, exile, multiple losses or even death during the Holocaust. Since the museum building was hit and severely damaged by a bomb and the major part of collections were relocated after the Second World War to the U.S.S.R. where they presumably remain to this day, the short and variegated history of the first society of friends came to an end in 1945.
That the museum is once again flourishing after the catastrophes of War and Holocaust is in no small part the merit of the members of the Friends re-established as Deutsche Gesellschaft für Ostasiatische Kunst in 1990 and its predecessor organisations. Aside from lectures and excursions for members, they publish once again a “Ostasiatische Zeitschrift” under the editorship of Patrizia Jirka-Schmitz, follow the development of the museum closely with advice and guidance and add to its holdings by providing long-term loans from its collection.
Highlights displayed on the occasion of the Friends centennial in the “Arts of Japan” parts of the gallery include first time presentations of an installation of 108 bowls by ceramic artist Young-Jae Lee who lives and works in Essen as well as a fragment of a Buddhist painting from eighteenth century Japan that depicts a guardian deity of Buddhism. It is reunited here with another two paintings from the set of originally five hanging scrolls, one on loan from a private collection and the other from museum holdings. Seldom shown art works from the collection of the Friends and donations, especially of woodblock prints, by members of as well as publications issued by or related to the former society of Friends complete this temporary presentation. In its second part from 16 December2026 to 1 March 2027 the most recent acquisitions will be presented.
In the 1920s the Friends supported the museum in many ways: by underwriting acquisitions, loans from members’ collections, advice and feed-back as well as by organising major presentations of East Asian Art such as the Ausstellung Chinesischer Kunst (Exhibition of Chinese Art) in 1928 and Japanische Malerei der Gegenwart (Contemporary Japanese Painting) in 1931, both displayed at Akademie der Künste located at Pariser Platz. They contributed to the publishing expenses of the journal “Ostasiatische Zeitschrift” which had been initiated by the first museum curator-director, Otto Kümmel (1874 – 1952) and his assistant, the scholar William Cohn (1880 – 1961), The Friends officially took over the role of editor when the latter’s names had to be dropped after the Nazi rise to power, because Cohn was Jewish. Fascist rule was disastrous for the society of Friends, and even more so for many of its Jewish members who suffered from persecution, exile, multiple losses or even death during the Holocaust. Since the museum building was hit and severely damaged by a bomb and the major part of collections were relocated after the Second World War to the U.S.S.R. where they presumably remain to this day, the short and variegated history of the first society of friends came to an end in 1945.
That the museum is once again flourishing after the catastrophes of War and Holocaust is in no small part the merit of the members of the Friends re-established as Deutsche Gesellschaft für Ostasiatische Kunst in 1990 and its predecessor organisations. Aside from lectures and excursions for members, they publish once again a “Ostasiatische Zeitschrift” under the editorship of Patrizia Jirka-Schmitz, follow the development of the museum closely with advice and guidance and add to its holdings by providing long-term loans from its collection.
Highlights displayed on the occasion of the Friends centennial in the “Arts of Japan” parts of the gallery include first time presentations of an installation of 108 bowls by ceramic artist Young-Jae Lee who lives and works in Essen as well as a fragment of a Buddhist painting from eighteenth century Japan that depicts a guardian deity of Buddhism. It is reunited here with another two paintings from the set of originally five hanging scrolls, one on loan from a private collection and the other from museum holdings. Seldom shown art works from the collection of the Friends and donations, especially of woodblock prints, by members of as well as publications issued by or related to the former society of Friends complete this temporary presentation. In its second part from 16 December2026 to 1 March 2027 the most recent acquisitions will be presented.
Runtime: Wed, 16/09/2026 to Tue, 08/12/2026
Price info: Exhibition ticket regular 9 EUR each:
- BERLIN GLOBAL, first floor
- Ethnological Collections and Asian Art, including temporary exhibitions on the 2nd and 3rd floors
You can purchase this ticket online or at the ticket office.
All information regarding free admission and discounts can be found here.
Free admission for:
- Insights. The Humboldt Brothers
- Castle Cellars
- Sculpture Hall
- Video Panorama
- On Water: WasserWissen in Berlin
Reduced price info: Admission remains free of charge for children and young people up to the age of 19, persons accompanying a severely disabled person (provided this is noted as B on the severely disabled person’s pass), persons receiving transfer payments and Berlin-Ticket-S-holders. Admission is also free of charge for Members of the International Council of Museums (ICOM), the German Museums Association and the Federal Association for Museum Education.
- BERLIN GLOBAL, first floor
- Ethnological Collections and Asian Art, including temporary exhibitions on the 2nd and 3rd floors
You can purchase this ticket online or at the ticket office.
All information regarding free admission and discounts can be found here.
Free admission for:
- Insights. The Humboldt Brothers
- Castle Cellars
- Sculpture Hall
- Video Panorama
- On Water: WasserWissen in Berlin
Reduced price info: Admission remains free of charge for children and young people up to the age of 19, persons accompanying a severely disabled person (provided this is noted as B on the severely disabled person’s pass), persons receiving transfer payments and Berlin-Ticket-S-holders. Admission is also free of charge for Members of the International Council of Museums (ICOM), the German Museums Association and the Federal Association for Museum Education.
Takes place here:
The help page for the event calendar answers common questions.. Information about coperations and imprint can be found on our page about partners and terms and conditions.