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Based initially on Cooke’s gifts, this collection has grown to over 15,000 pieces. It is particularly strong in American works in all media and French 19th and 20th-century painting, such as the Polynesian themes painted by Gauguin.

This group of objects is the product of a concept to which the Academy is deeply committed: the meeting of cultures. It is particularly apt since Hawai’i is one of those meeting places. Exhibits include trade goods and furnishings made in the East for Western use.

A centerpiece of the academy’s Asian holdings is the James Michener Collection of ukiyu-e paintings, which also includes some of Hokusai’s Thirty-six Views of Mt. Fuji . The Asian Collection is equally strong in Japanese scrolls and Ming-dynasty Chinese paintings.

A new gallery of Indian art, mostly collected by a wealthy Indian family who live in Honolulu, opened in 2003 with everything from a magnificent carved door to wedding attire. Southeast Asian items range from shrouds to head-dresses. Indonesian pieces appear in both the Asian and Islamic collections.

Masks, effigies, figurines, statuary, everyday tools, religious artifacts, and other pieces from the Americas, Oceania, and Africa are displayed in separate galleries and in periodic special exhibits.

This group, made up primarily of paintings, graphic arts, decorative arts, and sculpture, includes many of the most recognized images in the islands, such as Theodore Wores’ The Lei Maker (1902).

The Academy’s textile collection is immense, with only a small selection on display at any time. While the focus is on Asia, there are also fine examples of Pacific tapa cloth. Japanese kabuki costumes, an emperor’s jifu (robe), saris, and everyday clothing are well represented.

This 2001 addition to the Academy incorporates a large space for changing exhibits, the Hawaiian art collection, workshops, and the Academy’s offices.

Opened in 2002 in conjunction with the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art, this gallery is made up primarily of pieces from Duke’s broad-reaching collection – furnishings, woven objects, decorative pottery, and printed papers.

Tours of Doris Duke’s 1930s-era seaside mansion at Black Point begin at the Academy with a film, followed by a van ride to her home.