Honolulu Museum of Art is a great way to escape the scorching city heat, the large crowds and to dive into Hawaii’s finest art museum. It hosts some amazing collections and will also take you across the world and through a range of cultures.
The museum’s architecture is its very own work of art. You can lose yourself time traveling inside a range of expositions as you make your way through over thirty galleries and a glorious outdoor pavilion. From the gorgeous Japanese garden – home to the breathtaking Lilypad pond, to a courtyard brimming with sculptures, the museum has a perfect blend of exhibitions which complement the settings around them.
Hours of operation
Honolulu Museum of Art is open from Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00am to 4:30pm. In 2020 the museum will be closed on January 1, July 4, November 26 and December 25.
Parking
The Honolulu Museum of Art maintains two parking lots – Honolulu Museum of Art School lot and Kīna‘u Street lot.
TheArt School lot is located behind the school building. Entrances are on Beretania Street and Young Street. It is open Monday to Saturday from 7:00am to 11:00pm and Sunday from 10:00am to 6:00pm. The price is $5 for up to five hours and each additional 30 minutes or fraction thereof is $2. Parking spots for visitors with disabilities are also available.
Kīna‘u Street lot is located at 1035 Kīna‘u Street. The parking lot is open to the public and free in any stalls marked HOMA from 5-11pm including weekends. It is closed to the public Monday to Friday from 10:00am to 5:00pm.
Honolulu Museum of Art Cafe
Honolulu Museum of Art Café is hugely popular with tourists and locals alike and you will need to make a reservation to ensure a spot at this sought after dinery. Situated in the Luce Pavilion Complex, you can eat and enjoy spectacular sights of the gardens and cascading waterfalls. But don’t worry if you can’t make a reservation as all options are available to take away which you can then enjoy in one of the courtyards.
Impressive collections of art
One of their most impressive collections is the Asian art range, with over 16000 objects made by artists from all across the continent – China, Japan, Korea, Southeast Asia, and India. Their collection of Western art is not to be missed either with a complete journey through time, starting with five-thousand-year-old original Egyptian pieces right through to modern-day works of art from across Europe and America. You can look forward to seeing original regional expositions from Hawaii herself and there is always a range of special collections on show, such as Georgia O’Keeffe’s paintings, Japanese hina dolls, textiles from Cambodia, Iranian contemporary photography and so much more.
Museum shop
And if you would like to take a piece of Honolulu Museum of Art home with you, then the museum shop has a wonderful range of gifts and keepsakes to suit anyone’s tastes, ranging from publication and posters to stationary to prints as well as original pieces of art created by native Hawaiian designers, artists and artisans that you won’t be able to find elsewhere on the island. There is also free Wi-Fi available for your convenience.
The museum is located within a mile from Iolani Palace and combing these to breath-taking places you are sure to have a day to be remembered.