Welcome

WELCOME

Open every day, 10am–5pm

Plan your visit, become a Member, donate, or visit our Online Shop

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.

JOIN NOW

BOOK TICKETS NOW

LABYRINTH: KNOSSOS, MYTH & REALITY

Discover the ancient palace of Knossos and the search for the legendary labyrinth on the island of Crete in our major exhibition opening on 10 Feb 2023. Tickets available now.

AZZAWI'S NEW EXHIBITION

DIA AL-AZZAWI: PAINTING POETRY

This free exhibition presents artworks and 'dafatir' from this highly-influential contemporary Iraqi artist. Open now.
Gallery 8.

VISIT OUR CAFÉ

VEGANUARY IN THE CAFÉ

Treat yourself to one of our delicious vegan options, including a vegan fish finger wrap.

WEDDING HIRE DETAILS

GET MARRIED AT THE ASHMOLEAN

The Ashmolean is a unique and romantic venue for your wedding, civil partnership or celebration.

BOOK YOUR DIGITAL GUIDE

ASHMOLEAN ADVENTURE

A fun interactive family experience. Book ahead for your visit.

FULLY BOOKED

1 Feb

MEMBERS' EVENING GALLERY TOUR

Curators Colin Harrison and Clare Pollard will give members a special evening tour through the 18th-century and...

Curators Colin Harrison and Clare Pollard will give members a special evening tour through the 18th-century and Japanese art galleries.

At the Museum

FREE ANNUAL LECTURE

2 Feb

42ND ANNUAL BARLOW LECTURE

Professor Felicity Aylieff, established maker of large-scale sculptural ceramics, discusses her notions of Chinese...

Professor Felicity Aylieff, established maker of large-scale sculptural ceramics, discusses her notions of Chinese scale and porcelain.

Lecture Theatre

FULLY BOOKED

9 Feb

LABYRINTH MEMBERS PREVIEW

An exclusive, Members-only preview of our major Labyrinth exhibition.

Exhibition Galleries

11 Feb

ONE WORLD FAMILY FESTIVAL 2023

A special weekend for all the family, celebrating the communities and faiths of Oxfordshire through a dazzling...

A special weekend for all the family, celebrating the communities and faiths of Oxfordshire through a dazzling array of activities, performances, talks and crafts.

Whole Museum

MEMBERS ONLY

11 Feb

'ELEMENTARY, MY DEAR MR RUSKIN'

Join Tea Ghigo in this members' online talk to unveil the composition of pigments used in a Ruskin watercolour...

Join Tea Ghigo in this members' online talk to unveil the composition of pigments used in a Ruskin watercolour that is now under investigation by our researchers. Who knows what...

Join Tea Ghigo in this members' online talk to unveil the composition of pigments used in a Ruskin watercolour that is now under investigation by our researchers. Who knows what the paint of Ruskin’s Kingfisher...

Join Tea Ghigo in this members' online talk to unveil the composition of pigments used in a Ruskin watercolour that is now under investigation by our researchers. Who knows what the paint of Ruskin’s Kingfisher will contain?

Online

LECTURE

14 Feb

BRING BABY LECTURE FEBRUARY 2023

Join the second of our baby and toddler-friendly lectures to explore themes of disability in our Ancient Egyptian...

Join the second of our baby and toddler-friendly lectures to explore themes of disability in our Ancient Egyptian collections and literature.

At the Museum

WORKSHOP

19 Feb

AARDMAN FAMILY WORKSHOP

Learn how your favourite Aardman animations are made and get hands-on making your own Morph to take home.

At the Museum

22 Feb

LABYRINTH: KNOSSOS EXHIBITION CURATOR'S TALK

Dr Andrew Shapland, curator of the Labyrinth: Knossos, Myth & Reality exhibition, traces the history of exploration...

Dr Andrew Shapland, curator of the Labyrinth: Knossos, Myth & Reality exhibition, traces the history of exploration of Knossos and introduces this major exhibition.

At the Museum and Online

FULLY BOOKED

22 Feb

LABYRINTH EXHIBITION CURATOR'S TOUR FOR MEMBERS

Curator Dr Andrew Shapland provides a Members-exclusive tour of this major exhibition.

Exhibition Galleries

MEMBERS ONLY

2 Mar

DECODING CONTEMPORARY ART

Join Sydney Smith in this members' online talk to unveil the transformative moments of post-war art in the...

Join Sydney Smith in this members' online talk to unveil the transformative moments of post-war art in the Ashmolean's collections.

Online

TALK

8 Mar

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY TALK 2023

Join Alice Foster in this talk to celebrate the work of acclaimed Portuegese-born British artist, Paula Rego, on...

Join Alice Foster in this talk to celebrate the work of acclaimed Portuegese-born British artist, Paula Rego, on International Women's Day 2023

Online and at the Museum

SENSORY ACTIVITY

19 Mar

SENSORY STORIES FOR FAMILIES - MARCH 2023

Join the first of our toddler-friendly sensory events to experience our tea-related objects through the senses...

Join the first of our toddler-friendly sensory events to experience our tea-related objects through the senses with storytelling.

At the Museum

Manisha;s Postcards from Home - composite image of 9 postcards

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
FREE

ART IN CHINA: 1949–1999

Uncover our collection of Chinese works of art in the changing period after the People's Republic of China was founded in 1949. From Mao and the Cultural Revolution to the Reform Era and the modern world, some of China's most distinguished ink painters and print designers are included.

Gallery 11
FREE

COUNTERPOINT

This new display of artworks, by British artist Mary Chamberlain, reflects the contemporary response of local communities in Oxford to the 18th-century busts exhibited on the Ashmolean's Chantrey Wall.

Opposite the Chantrey Wall, first floor, 3M
FREE

COINS AT THE CROSSROADS OF ASIA

From around 250 BCE to 10 CE, rulers controlled an area of Central and South Asia in the ancient regions of Bactria and Gandhara. This intriguing new display of coins featuring kings, queens and Indo-Greek symbols and influences gives insights into the Graeco-Bactrian and Indo-Greek kingdoms, as they're now known.

Money Gallery
FREE

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.

TREASURES

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

A painting of St Jerome Reading in a Landscape, by Giovanni Bellini, with St Jerome holding an iPad

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