The Department of Asian Art fulfills a unique role at The Met by representing the artistic achievements of six major cultural traditions that encompass 5,000 years of history, half the world's population, more than twenty modern nations, and a vast region that ranges from Afghanistan, the Indian subcontinent, and Southeast Asia across the Himalayas to China, Korea, and Japan.

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.