The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Art and Japan-based Toppan are partnering to advance the museum’s growing digitization efforts, starting with implementation of cutting-edge virtual and augmented reality experiences. This partnership helps propel various goals in the museum’s strategic plan, including expansion of digital content, integration of technology-driven experiences and increasing audience reach.
In its first collaborative project with the museum, Toppan will develop digital content for a virtual reality simulation of the Peacock Room, scheduled for completion in early 2027. The room, created by artist James McNeill Whistler, is one of the centerpieces of the museum, a synthesis of Whistler’s design ideas and influence drawn from the arts of Japan and China. Other projects outlined in the contract include digitally archiving works from the museum’s collection and making this content fully accessible worldwide.
“There are so many stories, nuances and meanings behind a work of art that we’re not always able to experience within the physical space,” said Chase F. Robinson, director of the National Museum of Asian Art. “Digitization can make these stories come alive, if we embrace the technology. Through our contract with Toppan, we welcome technological innovation as a necessary tool to reach widespread audiences and to help them connect with the art in a more personalized, intimate way.”
While much of the museum’s artwork can be shared with other institutions, the museum’s original objects—the collection of museum founder, Charles Lang Freer—must physically remain within the museum. When he donated the entirety of his art collection as a gift to the nation, Freer included a built-in contingency restricting loans. For this reason, the digital expansion of Freer’s collection through collaboration with Toppan is essential to share these works globally.
Established in Tokyo in 1900, Toppan is a leading figure in printing, packaging, electronics and digital solutions both in Japan and globally. Since 2007, the company has spearheaded 4K virtual-reality projects around the world. Part of Toppan’s work for the Peacock Room virtual-reality project will include animating objects and artwork within the space, while overlaying audio of historical stories of controversy and intrigue associated with the room. These extra sensory layers will allow visitor interaction and understanding of the room that are not possible in the physical room itself.
The contract also supports a framework for continued collaboration on projects that represent cultural exchange between the United States and Japan, with a focus on Japanese art.
“We are both a printing company with a 125-year history and a modern-day leader of digital solutions, continually embracing the latest and greatest in technological advancements,” said Motomichi Nakajima, head of Toppan’s Cultural Innovation Division. “In a way, we parallel the story of the National Museum of Asian Art—as an older organization that continually embarks on the new—to increase opportunities for public engagement with art and culture.”
About the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art opened in 1923 as America’s first national art museum and the first Asian art museum in the United States. It now stewards one of the world’s most important collections of Asian art, with works dating from antiquity to the present. The museum also hosts an important collection of 19th- and early 20th-century American art.
Through an ambitious program of collection, conservation, exhibitions, programming and research, the museum serves as a global and national resource for understanding the arts and cultures of Asia and their interaction with America, past and present. By presenting the arts and cultures of Asia in their extraordinary diversity, the museum aims to exemplify foundational ideals of curiosity, creativity and respect. In a world growing ever more interdependent, the museum values cross-cultural understanding as a crucial element of personal and collective well-being.
Located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., the museum is free and open 364 days a year (closed Dec. 25). The Smithsonian is the world’s largest museum, education and research complex and welcomes millions of visitors yearly. For more information about the National Museum of Asian Art, visit asia.si.edu.
