Asian Collection and Garden

The Art Gallery of Greater Victoria is home to one of Canada’s most important Asian art collections, second only to the Royal Ontario Museum. The collection of amber and ivory carvings is one of the largest and most exquisite in North America. The Gallery’s collection has grown under the careful watch of internationally recognized Asian Curator, Barry Till. Several impressive objects d’art are on permanent exhibition including a grand Chinese Bell, cast in 1641 during the Ming dynasty that was presented to the City of Victoria in 1903. A popular attraction, it hung in Beacon Hill Park until 1989, when it came to the Art Gallery to ensure its long-time preservation. The Gallery’s Asian Garden boasts the only authentic Japanese Shinto Shrine in North America. It is a fine example of the architecture of a Meiji period Shinto Shrine, now perfectly situated among bamboo and Japanese maples.