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Where to See the Best Art Museums in Hong Kong

Where to See the Best Art Museums in Hong Kong 

| Last Updated: March 2024

A fun and great way to get to know Hong Kong is by tapping into the city’s treasure trove of exquisite and historical art through its art museums. 

Whether you’re a history and culture buff or just curious about Hong Kong’s contemporary art scene, you’re in for a treat. 

Today, we’ve gathered a list of the best art museums in Hong Kong. Who knows? You might even stumble upon your new favorite piece or artist!

Hong Kong Museum of Art 

Website: https://hk.art.museum/en/web/ma/home.html 

Address: Hong Kong Museum Of Art, 10 Salisbury Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong

Operating hours: Friday to Wednesday – 10 AM to 6 PM, Thursday – Closed 

Contact information: +852 2721 0116 

Entrance fee: Free (admission fee to special exhibitions differs)

Highlights: 

  • Traditional Chinese art
  • Chinese antiquities 
  • Hong Kong art 

Hong Kong Museum of Art was first established in City Hall in 1962, but it was then relocated to Tsim Sha Tsui in 1991. 

There is so much to see here. After all, it’s considered one of the largest museums in Hong Kong. This museum showcases a range of local art and also houses pieces that tell about China’s long cultural legacy in the city. 

In 2019, the museum underwent a grand makeover. Now, it’s spread across more than 10,000 square meters of land, with 12 galleries that can handle large-scale exhibits and floor-to-ceiling windows that let visitors appreciate Victoria Harbour’s scenic views and Hong Kong Island’s vast skyline. 

The museum includes more than 18,000 curated art pieces and artifacts that are classified into four main collections: Chinese Antiquities, China Trade Art, Modern, and Hong Kong art, as well as Chinese Painting and Calligraphy. 

In the museum’s multifunction hall, you can find thematic exhibits, which play a vital role in highlighting historical and cultural heritage. One of the most sought-after exhibits here is the Chih Lo Lou Gallery of Chinese Painting and Calligraphy and traditional Chinese paintings made by the iconic artist Wu Guanzhong. 

Another area that you shouldn’t miss is the Chinese antiquities and artifacts. Here, you can marvel at 4,500 items that are mostly cultural relics that date back to the Neolithic period. 

It’s great that most of the permanent art exhibitions and galleries inside can be accessed for free. Meanwhile, if there is a new and special exhibition, you might need to pay an entrance fee. 

If you have to visit this museum more than once, it might be better to just purchase a museum pass. With a museum pass, you can get exclusive perks like unlimited admission to all the permanent and special exhibits inside the museum. 

Here are the prices for an annual museum pass: 

  • Family Pass (for a maximum of four persons of kinship – HK$ 100 
  • Individual Pass – HK$ 50
  • Concessionary Pass (for full-time students, people with disabilities, or senior citizens aged 60 years old and above – HK$ 25

Flagstaff House Museum of Tea Ware 

Media Credit: katto_pharata 

Website: https://www.discoverhongkong.com/anz/interactive-map/flagstaff-house-museum-of-tea-ware

Address: 10號 Cotton Tree Dr, Central, Hong Kong

Operating hours: Monday to Wednesday, Friday – 10 AM to 6 PM, Saturday to Sunday – 10 AM to 9 PM, Tuesday – Closed 

Contact information: +852 2869 0690 

Entrance fee: Free 

Highlights: 

  • Chinese ceramics 
  • Stone seals 
  • Antique and quirky teaware sets 

Flagstaff House Museum of Tea Ware, just like its name implies, is a one-of-a-kind museum dedicated to showcasing an extensive collection of teaware. 

However, before this unique art museum in Hong Kong Park came to life, the place was originally an office and residence of the commander of the British Forces in the 1840s. 

Now, on top of its historic location, this first-ever teaware museum features more than 600 pieces of Chinese ceramics and other related vessels ranging from antique to modern pieces.

Some of the permanent exhibitions here feature treasured historic teaware pieces and stone seals that date back as early as 770 BC or the Western Zhou period, so this just speaks volumes about the enduring legacy of the tea culture in the city and in Mainland China.

Alongside this historic teaware exhibit, you can also find rare Chinese ceramic pieces from the Song Dynasty, Yuan Dynasty, and Ming Dynasty at the K.S.Lo Gallery. 

And there’s more! Flagstaff House Museum also hosts permanent and special exhibitions, lecture programs, and, of course, tea gatherings that highlight the traditional Chinese tea culture. 

Nonetheless, if you’re done exploring this museum, you can do a quick stopover at the onsite teahouse. Here, you can sip and savor different types of teas and even take some home with you. 

M+

Website: https://www.mplus.org.hk/en/ 

Address: Hong Kong, West Kowloon, Museum Dr, 38號 M+ Cultural District

Operating hours: Tuesday to Thursday, Saturday to Sunday – 10 AM to 6 PM, Friday – 10 AM to 10 PM, Monday – Closed 

Contact information: +852 2200 0217 

Entrance fee: 

  • General Admission Exhibits (Level B1 and L1) – Free 
  • General Admission Exhibits (Level B2 and L2): Standard – HK$ 120, Concession – HK$ 60
  • Madame Song Exhibit: Standard – HK$ 140, Concession – HK$ 70 
  • Other special exhibits: range from HK$ 70 to HK$ 140 
  • Special Exhibitions Dual Pass: HK$ 210, Concession – HK$ 105 

Highlights: 

  • Contemporary visual art, design, and architecture 

M+ is the first global museum of visual culture in Asia, and it’s set in the West Kowloon Cultural District. Unlike any other art museum, it’s more focused on showcasing and interpreting a range of contemporary visual art and design, architecture, and moving image art. 

With a total floor area of over 65,000 square meters, this museum is an architectural work of art on its own because it’s designed by well-known architecture practice Herzog & de Meuron and TFP Farrells and Arup. 

M+ features 33 galleries that showcase a curated collection of photos, graphic designs, posters, architecture models and sketches, moving images, and even album covers. 

It’s nice that access to certain sections and galleries in Level 1 and Basement 1, like the Mediatheque, Roof Garden, and the Garden Stair (except for ticketed exhibits), is free. However, if you want access to other levels and exhibits, you’ll need to pay entrance fees. 

That’s why if you wish to explore the whole museum, we recommend you get the Special Exhibitions Dual Pass. You see, this pass already includes same-day access to both General Admission Exhibits and Special Exhibits, so you can save a bit more. 

Sun Museum 

Website: https://www.en.sunmuseum.org.hk/  

Address: 4/F, SML Tower, 165 Hoi Bun Rd, Kwun Tong, Hong Kong

Operating hours: Tuesday to Saturday – 10 AM to 6 PM, Sunday to Monday – Closed 

Contact information: +852 2690 6790 

Entrance fee: Free 

Highlights: 

  • Chinese art 
  • Hong Kong art 

Sun Museum is a non-profit art museum established in 2013. This art museum is part of the Simon Suen Foundation.

Its advocacy is to foster the development of Hong Kong’s arts and cultural scene through thematic exhibits, informative seminars, and other educational programs. That’s why most of the exhibits featured in this art museum hold a strict focus on Hong Kong art with a dash of Chinese art.  

Although it’s not as big as other museums, it’s still worth exploring because each art installed here is up for a cause. 

One of its current exhibits – Infinite Creativity in Art, features artworks created by over 200 people living with disabilities from 17 charitable organizations across the city. 

Through the Sun Museum’s collaboration with the Labor and Welfare Bureau, Arts Development Fund, and Social Welfare Development, individuals living with disabilities ranging from autism to visual impairments have shared their unique pieces, which include pottery, paintings, sketches, sculptures, and even handmade crafts. 

The story behind each artwork is what makes the exhibit more special. To get the full Sun Museum experience, we suggest you check out the virtual guided tours posted on their website before or during your visit. 

Website: https://www.umag.hku.hk/ 

Address: 90 Bonham Road, Pok Fu Lam Rd, Hong Kong 

Operating hours: Tuesday – Saturday – 9:30 AM to 6 PM, Sunday – 1 PM to 6 PM, Monday – Closed 

Contact information: +852 2241 5500

Entrance fee: Free (admission fees to specific events/workshops differ)

Highlights: 

  • Chinese art 
  • Traditional and modern paintings 
  • Antique ceramics and bronzes 

The University Museum and Art Gallery (UMAG) at the University of Hong Kong is the oldest museum in the city. It was erected in 1953, and it features traditional Edwardian architecture that is distinctively unique from other buildings in the area. 

As you step inside UMAG, you’ll discover a treasure trove of more than 1,800 historically significant works made by local and Chinese artists. Apart from that, you can also find a range of contemporary and non-Chinese art inside the museum. 

Most of the art pieces featured here are from donors, collectors, artists, and, of course, the university. 

But, as you would expect, the most noteworthy exhibits here revolve around traditional Chinese art. So much so, in fact, that it’s always part of the featured exhibits. 

Currently, the art museum showcases the exhibit Momentous Mountains: The Artistic, Philosophical, and Cultural Engagement with Chinese Landscape Painting. In simpler terms, this exhibit lets visitors get a glimpse of the captivating Chinese landscape paintings that date back from the early Qing Dynasty (17th century) to modern times. 

Some of the popular works you can find in the Momentous Mountains Exhibit are the rarely displayed paintings of art masters and art educators like Fao Zhaoling, Wesley Tongson, Liu Haisu, and Wan Qingli. 

Hong Kong Palace Museum 

Website: 

Address: 8 Museum Drive West Kowloon, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong 

Operating hours: Sunday to Monday, Wednesday to Thursday – 10 AM to 6 PM, Friday to Saturday – 10 AM to 8 PM, Tuesday – Closed  

Contact information: +852 2200 0217 

Entrance fee: 

  • Adult – HK$ 60
  • Concessions – HK$ 30
  • Children under six years old – free 

Highlights: 

  • Chinese art and relics 
  • Antique ceramics
  • Qing dynasty portraits 
  • Hong Kong art 

Hong Kong Palace Museum belongs to one of the newest flagship projects in the West Kowloon Cultural District. What makes the Hong Kong Palace Museum so interesting is that it’s also considered a cultural landmark because of its intricate traditional Chinese architecture combined with modern aesthetics. 

You see, this museum was designed by a renowned architect, Rocco Yim, and it took more than five years for the museum to be finished, so in a way, it’s an exquisite artwork by itself. 

Anyway, this art museum regularly showcases special exhibits, including Chinese art, antique ceramics, and treasures from all over the world.

We’re talking about 9 galleries with more than 900 priceless pieces from the Beijing Palace Museum, and this includes 160 Class A national treasures that have never been shown elsewhere in the world. 

Currently, one of the most visited exhibits here is The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series: Stories Untold, which features the first-ever exhibit of historical Chinese figure paintings in the city. 

The artworks you can see here are 81 curated painting sets from the Ming Dynasty and 14 sets of national grade-one cultural relics. Of course, you can also see other exhibits like the Botticelli to Van Gogh, Entering the Forbidden City, and The Quest for Originality. 

Meanwhile, if you wish to rest for a bit, just go to the atrium with viewing decks so you can unwind and just bask in the panoramic views of the harbor. 

Centre for Heritage Arts and Textile

Website: https://www.mill6chat.org/ 

Address: Hong Kong, Tsuen Wan, Pak Tin Par St, 45號CHAT, The Mills, 45CHAT 六廠 The Mills

Operating hours: Wednesday to Monday – 11 AM to 7 PM, Tuesday – Closed 

Contact information: +852 3979 2301 

Entrance fee: Free 

Highlights: 

  • Textile art 
  • Refurbished art 

Centre for Heritage Arts and Textile, also known as CHAT, is part of The Mill’s heritage conservation project. This art museum was once one of the abandoned cotton-spinning mills of the Nan Fung Textiles in Tsuen Wan, so you can really see where some of the artworks are rooted. 

Aside from the museum, you can also find a range of shops, cafes, and offices in this area, so the place is like a little community where you can explore and relax. 

CHAT’s art scene is centered on boasting the city’s innovative textile industry through various exhibitions and co-learning programs. However, this doesn’t mean that the artworks in this museum are restricted to the use of textiles. 

What makes CHAT unique, according to its directors, is that they don’t treat the word “textile” as a way to describe a material. 

In fact, they want to explore “textile” as a broad subject, so the artworks depict the process of its production, the workforce involved in producing it, as well as the past generations that made the city one of the top textile export sites in the world. 

The artworks here are eclectic and experimental. They challenge people to get a new perspective when it comes to contemporary and refurbished art, especially in textile art. 

That’s why, if you’re really interested in art or you wish to awaken your inner creativity, this museum is well worth a visit.

Hong Kong Visual Arts Centre

Website: https://www.apo.hk/en/web/apo/va.html 

Address: 7 Kennedy Rd, Mid-Levels, Hong Kong 

Operating hours: Wednesday to Monday – 10 AM to 9 PM, Tuesday – Closed 

Contact information: +852 2521 3008 

Entrance fee: Free 

Highlights: 

  • Hong Kong art 
  • Contemporary art 

The Hong Kong Arts Centre (HKAC) is an established arts and cultural hub in the city. It’s nestled at the top of Hong Kong Park and housed in Cassels Block, which is an extension of the former quarters for married British soldiers. 

When the quarters were handed over to the government, renovations started, and a new site with a glass canopy was added. It was then converted into the HKAC in 1992. 

Since then, this art center has been a popular multi-directional exhibition hall used to promote a wide range of local and contemporary art as well as art education and programs. 

To give you an overview of the current and upcoming exhibits and programs you can look forward to in HKAC, we listed some of them below:

  • Luis Chan Studio – May 25, 2022 to May 27, 2027 
  • A Mind-friendly Estate Model – November 1, 2022 to November 30, 2024 
  • Photo Exhibition – Touch n Shine – November 1, 2022 to November 30, 2024 

Liang Yi Museum

Website: https://www.liangyimuseum.com/ 

Address: 181, 199 Hollywood Rd, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong

Operating hours: Tuesday to Sunday – 10 AM to 6 PM, Sunday to Monday – Closed 

Contact information: +852 2806 8280 

Entrance fee: HK$ 200 (with guided tour), Free during Wednesday for full-time students 

Highlights: 

  • Antique Chinese furniture 
  • Japanese art 
  • Bejeweled compacts, clutches, and powder boxes

Are you running out of date ideas? Take your special someone on a romantic and whimsical museum tour at Liang Yi Museum. 

This private art museum is owned by one of Hong Kong’s prominent art collectors and investment bankers, Peter Fung. 

Actually, there’s a somewhat funny story behind the museum’s foundation. You see, Mr. Fung didn’t initially plan to build his own museum, but his first antique purchase, a pair of extremely uncomfortable but intricately designed wooden chairs, sparked his life-long curiosity about the Ming and Qing antiques. 

Over the years, his home was gradually filled with tons of antique furniture, vanity cases, and other trinkets, and some people actually assumed that he owned a haunted house. For this reason, he decided to build a 20,000-square-foot and four-story private art space to house his extensive collection. 

The collection featured in Liang Yi Museum consists of more than 7,000 items ranging from Chinese antique furniture, ornate relics from Japan, Persian art and ceramics, bejeweled trinkets from the likes of Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, and so much more.   

Note that you can only visit Liang Yi Museum if you have an appointment, so make sure to book a tour through their website prior to your visit. Children under 12 years old are not allowed in the venue, so unfortunately, you can’t bring the kiddos here. 

JC Contemporary 

Media Credit: e

Website: https://www.taikwun.hk/en/ 

Address: Old Bailey St, Central, Hong Kong 

Operating hours: Tuesday to Sunday – 11 AM to 7 PM, Monday – Closed 

Contact information: +852 3559 2600 

Entrance fee: 

  • Standard – HK$ 70
  • Concession – HK$ 60 
  • Children under five years old – free

Highlights: 

  • Contemporary art 

JC Contemporary is part of Tai Kwun’s popular heritage and arts venue. That’s why if you drop by here, you can find other small museums and galleries that are all within walking distance. 

We recommend this place for people exploring museums with their families because, aside from contemporary artworks, this art museum also features a range of programs and workshops that kids can enjoy. 

Another thing that makes this space so special is its interactive elements throughout the collection. For example, in one of their latest live art installations, Maria Hassabi: I’ll Be Your Mirror, visitors are encouraged to be the living sculptures that will touch, dance, and explore around mirror structures covered in gold.  

Of course, this can still depend on the exhibit featured, so make sure you look into their lineup of exhibits and events before you decide to visit. 

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