Welcome

The front of the Museum against a blue and cloudy sky

PLAN YOUR VISIT

WELCOME

Open every day, 10am–5pm

Book a visit, become a Member, donate, or visit our Online Shop

The Ashmolean is the University of Oxford’s museum of art and archaeology, founded in 1683. Our world famous collections range from Egyptian mummies to contemporary art, telling human stories across cultures and across time.

Open every day. Admission is free.

PLAN YOUR VISIT

FINAL WEEKS - CLOSES 12 JUNE

PISSARRO

FATHER OF IMPRESSIONISM

★ ★ ★ ★ "Illuminating" – The Times

NEW See the exhibition on screen from 24 May

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JOIN US AS A MEMBER

Join today for priority booking, unlimited free exhibition entry, preview days & much more

Membership gives you unlimited free access to exhibitions, exclusive online events, members-only previews and curator-led events, a members’ magazine sent to your door, as well as discounts across our shop, restaurant and café. Join as a Member today and you will be supporting the Museum at a critical time.

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ASHMOLEAN ADVENTURE

A fun interactive family experience. Book your digital guide for May half term.

A painting of a bearded man wearing a white tunic gown against a bright orange background

ALI KAZIM: SUSPENDED IN TIME

This exhibition is inspired by the time Ali Kazim, acclaimed artist working in Pakistan, spent in the Museum. It features his paintings, sculptures and installations alongside Ashmolean objects. The exhibition coincides with the 75th anniversary of Pakistan's creation.
Gallery 8, Lower Ground Floor
FREE

Postcards from home exhibition montage. Photos by Manisha Gera Baswani

MANISHA GERA BASWANI: POSTCARDS FROM HOME

New Delhi-based artist Manisha Gera Baswani presents postcards of 47 artists from India and Pakistan, all with a shared history of the partition of India in 1947. Each postcard in her exhibition carries an image of the contemporary artists photographed by Baswani, accompanied by their reminiscences.
Gallery 29, First Floor
FREE

The Museum lit up at night for one of our after hours events

20 May

AVANT GARDE! AFTER HOURS

Get ready for our May TORCH after hours event at the Ashmolean, with an evening full of activity and performance...

Get ready for our May TORCH after hours event at the Ashmolean, with an evening full of activity and performance inspired by the Avant-Garde.

At the Museum

17th-century model of Church of Holy Sepulchre souvenir

26 May

TALKING MEMORY WORKSHOP 26 MAY

Explore the world of a 17th-century Holy Land souvenir in the second of our free Talking Memory workshops led by...

Explore the world of a 17th-century Holy Land souvenir in the second of our free Talking Memory workshops led by Dr Jim Harris, for the over 65s.

At the Museum

Children enjoying activities at Windrush day in 2019 by Ian Wallman

28 May

ALI KAZIM FAMILY FESTIVAL

Join us for an afternoon of free family activities inspired by the Ali Kazim exhibition at the Museum.

At the Museum

2 Jun

TALKING MEMORY WORKSHOP 2 JUNE

Explore the world of a colossal medieval rune stone in the third of our free Talking Memory workshops led by Dr...

Explore the world of a colossal medieval rune stone in the third of our free Talking Memory workshops led by Dr Jim Harris, for the over 65s.

At the Museum

9 Jun

TALKING MEMORY WORKSHOP 9 JUNE

Explore the intimate space of an 18th-century portrait miniature in the fourth of our free Talking Memory workshops...

Explore the intimate space of an 18th-century portrait miniature in the fourth of our free Talking Memory workshops led by Dr Jim Harris, for the over 65s.

At the Museum

Earthenware with painting in lustre of a cockerel on saucer, Iraq, 10th century

MEMBERS ONLY

13 Jun

THE EXTRAORDINARY JOURNEY OF LUSTREWARE

In this special online and in-person talk for Members, Dr Francesca Leoni take us on a journey from 10th-century...

In this special online and in-person talk for Members, Dr Francesca Leoni take us on a journey from 10th-century Baghdad to reveal the story and nature of the ceramic lustreware te...

In this special online and in-person talk for Members, Dr Francesca Leoni take us on a journey from 10th-century Baghdad to reveal the story and nature of the ceramic lustreware technique.

Online & at the Museum

16 Jun

TALKING MEMORY WORKSHOP 16 JUNE

Step into the world of the iremarkable octopus jar of Knossos in the fifth of our free Talking Memory workshops...

Step into the world of the iremarkable octopus jar of Knossos in the fifth of our free Talking Memory workshops led by Dr Jim Harris, for the over 65s.

At the Museum

23 Jun

TALKING MEMORY WORKSHOP 23 JUNE

Explore a hoard of buried Roman treasure and an emperor's coin in the sixth and final of our Talking Memory...

Explore a hoard of buried Roman treasure and an emperor's coin in the sixth and final of our Talking Memory workshops led by Dr Jim Harris, for the over 65s.

At the Museum

A black and white photograph of gentleman in a suit and tie analysing scripture on a plaque

12 Jul

CRACKING ANCIENT CODES

An in-person and online talk with Andrew Robinson, uncovering the deciphering of the mysterious Minoan script 'Linear...

An in-person and online talk with Andrew Robinson, uncovering the deciphering of the mysterious Minoan script 'Linear B' by architect Michael Ventris, marking his centenary....

An in-person and online talk with Andrew Robinson, uncovering the deciphering of the mysterious Minoan script 'Linear B' by architect Michael Ventris, marking his centenary. The second lecture in a mini-series...

An in-person and online talk with Andrew Robinson, uncovering the deciphering of the mysterious Minoan script 'Linear B' by architect Michael Ventris, marking his centenary. The second lecture in a mini-series about decipherment.

Ashmolean Museum and Online

Adoration of the Shepherds illustration by an anonymous Italian in pen and brown ink with brown wash, c.1570

MEMBERS ONLY

13 Jul

DETECTIVE WORK AND DISCOVERIES

In this talk we look at the collection of Italian drawings from Leonardo to Piranesi, giving insights into recent...

In this talk we look at the collection of Italian drawings from Leonardo to Piranesi, giving insights into recent research, highlighting the questions, the challenges, the detective...

In this talk we look at the collection of Italian drawings from Leonardo to Piranesi, giving insights into recent research, highlighting the questions, the challenges, the detective work involved and some of the...

In this talk we look at the collection of Italian drawings from Leonardo to Piranesi, giving insights into recent research, highlighting the questions, the challenges, the detective work involved and some of the discoveries we have made.

Online & at the Museum

A painting of a woman with red hair, in a purple dress, holding white flowers and resting on an open book

MEMBERS ONLY

14 Jul

PRE-RAPHAELITES MEMBERS' PREVIEW

An exclusive, Members-only preview of our Pre-Raphaelites 2022 exhibition.

Exhibition Galleries

Bath Road by Camille Pissarro 1897, oil on canvas

RESCHEDULED

27 Jul

THE PISSARROS IN ENGLAND

Join art historian Kathleen Adler to explore the period the Pissarro family and Lucien, Camille's eldest son,...

Join art historian Kathleen Adler to explore the period the Pissarro family and Lucien, Camille's eldest son, spent in England.

Online and at the Museum

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ROOFTOP RESTAURANT

Dine on the terrace and enjoy a picturesque view over the rooftops of Oxford with your lunch or afternoon tea.

SPRING INTO PRINT

PRINTS ON DEMAND

Decorate your home with favourite artworks from our collection. Save 10% with code spring10 (ends 22 May). Every purchase supports the Museum.

WIN AN OXFORD CITY BREAK

To celebrate our spring Pissarro exhibition, we're giving you the chance to win an overnight stay at The Randolph Hotel and dinner at Pierre Victoire.

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Spring-inspired artworks

CELEBRATING SPRING

May is the month for enjoying beautiful blooms and gardens. Join us in sharing the joys of the bountiful spring season through our collections.

A pair of hands hold an ancient stone Sumerian statue

6 EPISODES

FINGERPRINTS

Uncover the invisible fingerprints left behind by makers, looters, archaeologists, soldiers, rulers, curators, and more. These stories of touch also reveal how forces of conflict and colonialism have shaped the Museum.

25 BITE-SIZED TALES

MUSEUM SECRETS

Our curators have been recording bite-sized tales of the wonderful, and sometimes unexpected, life of a museum. Explore time & asparagus, symbols of hope in challenging times, Ancient Greek manscaping, and more!

6 AUDIO ADVENTURES

OBJECTS OUT LOUD

From Uccello’s spine-tingling painting The Hunt in the Forest to poems woven into Japanese prints, this short series delves into the poetry and literature hidden in the collections.

ONLINE COLLECTIONS

Discover thousands of objects and artworks Take a journey through thousands of years of art and history with our online collection. There are currently more than 200,000 objects available to search and browse online.

Netsuke in the form of a rat, Kano Tomokazu, 1800-40

TREASURES

Take a look at a selection of the Ashmolean's most treasured objects, chosen by our curators.

landscape detail st jerome reading in a landscape by giovanni bellini with a tablet ashmolean museum wa1899 cdef p1

YOUR SUPPORT

A donation of any amount will help ensure that we remain open to the public, free of charge, and that we are able to continue to care for and showcase the collections share our knowledge.

MAKE A DONATION

Membership Card with logos and depictions of birds

JOIN ONLINE

GIFT MEMBERSHIP

Support the Museum and treat someone to free, unlimited access to a year of exhibitions, including Pissarro: Father of Impressionism, plus exclusive events and discounts.