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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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MAJOR EXHIBITION - OPEN NOW

LABYRINTH

KNOSSOS, MYTH & REALITY

Discover the ancient palace at Knossos and the search for the legendary labyrinth.

★ ★ ★ ★ "Thrilling" – The Times

BOOK TICKETS NOW

SHOP THE RANGE

SHOP THE EXHIBITION

Treat yourself to something from our online Labyrinth collection which was designed to accompany our major exhibition.

MENU & DETAILS

AFTERNOON TEA

Book a table in our Rooftop Restaurant for a indulgent afternoon tea overlooking the rooftops of Oxford.

BOOK YOUR DIGITAL GUIDE

ASHMOLEAN ADVENTURE

A fun interactive family experience through the galleries. Book ahead for your May half-term visit.

MORE DETAILS

ARABIC-ENGLISH STORY TIME

Drop in to our May half-term bilingual event for stories and tile making in the Islamic Middle East gallery. Tue 30 May, 10.30am-12pm

A lady seated with a mirror in a garden, with a maid and three musicians painting. c 1909. Unknown artist. Originated in the Punjab

STEP INTO SPRING

CELEBRATING SPRING

Join us in sharing the joys of the bountiful spring season through our collections and stories.

SELF-GUIDED TOUR

HIGHLIGHTS AUDIO TOUR

Discover the highlights of the Ashmolean on the Smartify audio tour.

Every day

At the Museum and Online

FREE DROP-IN EVENT

ARABIC-ENGLISH STORY TIME

Families can join in this bilingual May half-term event to enjoy Arabic-English story time and tile making in the...

Families can join in this bilingual May half-term event to enjoy Arabic-English story time and tile making in the Islamic Gallery. FREE

Tue 30 May, 10.30am–12.00pm

At the Museum

WORKSHOP

CREATIVE WRITING WORKSHOP

In this practical creative workshop with poet and performer Louise Larchbourne, be inspired by the collection to...

In this practical creative workshop with poet and performer Louise Larchbourne, be inspired by the collection to explore the magic of words and 'poetry of objects'.

Sat 3 Jun, 10.30am–4.30pm

At the Museum

TALK

JANINA RAMIREZ: MYTHS, REALITY & RITUALS TALK

Janina Ramirez ,cultural historian, broadcaster and author, discusses myths and legends in this unmissable tal...

Janina Ramirez ,cultural historian, broadcaster and author, discusses myths and legends in this unmissable talk.

Tue 6 Jun, 5–6pm

Online and In-person

COURSE

GODS AND HEROES IN ART

In this short course of three talks, Alice Foster uncovers the stories and origins of popular mythical western...

In this short course of three talks, Alice Foster uncovers the stories and origins of popular mythical western characters, from Venus the Goddess of Love to St George the dragon sl...

In this short course of three talks, Alice Foster uncovers the stories and origins of popular mythical western characters, from Venus the Goddess of Love to St George the dragon slayer.

Thu 8 Jun, 15 Jun & 22 Jun, 2–4pm

At the Museum and Online

FREE DROP-IN EVENT

POETRY, MUSIC & CRAFTS DROP-IN

Make a zig-zag book inspired by the 'dafatir' works of Dia al-Azzawi and listen to stories and poems...

Make a zig-zag book inspired by the 'dafatir' works of Dia al-Azzawi and listen to stories and poems in his Painting Poetry exhibition, with Hanan Zein Eddin. FREE

Sat 10 Jun, 12–4pm

At the Museum

WORKSHOP

CREATE YOUR OWN MANGA YOKAI CHARACTERS

In this practical workshop manga artist Inko will guide you through the strange realm of Japanese mythical monsters,...

In this practical workshop manga artist Inko will guide you through the strange realm of Japanese mythical monsters, to create manga yokai characters.

Sat 17 Jun, 10.30am–12.30pm

At the Museum

MEMBERS ONLY

COINS AND CHARITY IN MUGHAL INDIA

Join curator Shailendra Bhandare in this members' online talk as he explores the Ashmolean's collection...

Join curator Shailendra Bhandare in this members' online talk as he explores the Ashmolean's collection of Indian coins and their stories.

Tue 20 Jun, 5–6pm

Online

LECTURE

BRING BABY LECTURE - JUNE 2023

In the fourth of our Bring Baby lectures, Dr Catherine Briddick of University of Warwich talks about the history...

In the fourth of our Bring Baby lectures, Dr Catherine Briddick of University of Warwich talks about the history of migration in the Ashmolean's collections.

Wed 21 Jun, 10–11am

At the Museum

MEMBERS ONLY

LABYRINTH EXHIBITION CURATOR'S TOUR JUNE 2023

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

Tue 27 Jun, 4.45–6pm

Exhibition Galleries

FULLY BOOKED

CHRIST CHURCH BELLRINGING TOWER TOUR

Members can join us on this unique opportunity to learn about the ancient art of bellringing in Christ Church Oxford,...

Members can join us on this unique opportunity to learn about the ancient art of bellringing in Christ Church Oxford, hosted by the Oxford Change Ringers.

Thu 29 Jun, 6.30-7.30pm

At Christ Church College, St Aldates, Oxford

MEMBERS ONLY

LABYRINTH EXHIBITION CURATOR'S TOUR JULY 2023

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

Mon 3 Jul, 4.45–6pm

Exhibition Galleries

DIA AL-AZZAWI: PAINTING POETRY

This stunning exhibition presents artworks and 'dafatir' from the highly-influential contemporary Iraqi artist. It includes al-Azzawi's specially-commissioned 10-metre-long tapestry, 'Panorama of Destruction'. Final weeks.

Gallery 8

FREE

KABUKI LEGENDS: STENCIL PRINTS OF TAKAHASHI HIROMITSU

Discover dramatic kabuki scenes in the colourful prints of contemporary Japanese artist Takahashi Hiromitsu. NOW OPEN.

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

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

COUNTERPOINT

Celebrating 21st-century Oxford, this display responds to 18th-century figures who benefited from the slave trade. The 16 paintings in the display are by British artist Mary Chamberlain, and created on vellum, a material that for centuries has been used to encode British law.
Chantrey Wall
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.

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