The Honolulu Academy of Arts was chartered in 1922 and opened to the public on April 8, 1927. It was the vision of Anna Rice Cooke, a woman born into a prominent missionary family on O‘ahu in 1853.
Since it opened, the museum has grown steadily, both in acquisitions and in stature, becoming one of the finest museums in the United States. Additions to the original building include an expansion to the library (1956), education wings (1931, 1961), a gift shop (1965), a cafe (1969), a contemporary gallery, administrative offices and 292-seat theater (1977), an art center for studio classes and expanded educational programming (1990), and a new wing housing the shop and café, as well as dedicated gallery space for historic and contemporary art of Hawai‘i (2001).
Since it opened, the museum has grown steadily, both in acquisitions and in stature, becoming one of the finest museums in the United States. Additions to the original building include an expansion to the library (1956), education wings (1931, 1961), a gift shop (1965), a cafe (1969), a contemporary gallery, administrative offices and 292-seat theater (1977), an art center for studio classes and expanded educational programming (1990), and a new wing housing the shop and café, as well as dedicated gallery space for historic and contemporary art of Hawai‘i (2001).
The museum’s permanent collection has grown from approximately 875 works to more than 50,000 pieces spanning 5,000 years, with significant holdings in Asian art, American and European painting and decorative arts, 19th- and 20th-century art, an extensive collection of works on paper, Asian textiles, and traditional works from Africa, Oceania, and the Americas.
The museum continues to reflect Mrs. Cooke’s vision by being dedicated to the collection, preservation, interpretation, and teaching of the visual arts, and the presentation of exhibitions, performances, films, and public programs that serve Hawai‘i’s diverse communities.
