The Ann & Gabriel Barbier-Mueller Museum: The Samurai Collection

Join us, you must, for a special Star War’s themed Family Day tomorrow from 1-3PM. Learn, you will, about the connection between the samurai and the Star Wars universe, and make Star Wars-inspired easy origami, you shall! May the forth be with you, young padawan.

Join us for Samurai Spring Break, March 15-17 for samurai-inspired family activities! To celebrate the 25th anniversary of Dallas’ sister-city friendship with the city of Sendai, Japan we’re taking inspiration from objects in the collection from Sendai. Marvel at our stunning armor belonging to a member of the Date clan, rulers of Sendai during the time of the samurai. Make a golden helmet like those worn by the Date army and learn about the intricate metal-working techniques used to embellish samurai art. Finish your visit with trying on a samurai armor and snapping some photos with our samurai cavalcade. 11AM-3PM, Free to the public.

Switzerland’s most acclaimed art critic, Etienne Dumont, published a rave review in of The Samurai Legend: The Ann and Gabriel Barbier-Mueller Collection. The traveling exhibition of is on view now at in Bern, Switzerland through August 2022.

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Happy Holidays!🎄

Are your plans for August IRONed out? Join us this month by attending our After-Hours Cocktail Tour. Follow the link in our bio to get your tickets!

On the last Thursday of this month, Aug. 26 from 6:30-7:30pm, you can explore the Museum with a staff member of the collection and learn more about our current exhibition IRON MEN. You will be toured through the evolution of IRON in Japan and how it influenced the artistry of the samurai. We will be exploring special iron details of the collection, like this tiny turtle used as a hinge and lock on the front of a traveling shrine.

Did you know it could take up to one year to make a suit of samurai armor? Constructing a suit of armor was the work of many specialized craftsmen. This detail from a sixteenth century screen depicting armorers at work shows the many artisans creating different armor components. Learn about the different “schools” of armorers in our new exhibition IRON MEN: THE ARTISTRY OF IRON IN SAMURAI ARMOR. Book your free timed-entry pass at the link in our bio.

Have you booked your free timed-entry pass for this weekend? Marvel at the unique details created in iron by samurai armorers. This image shows the top of a seventeenth century helmet lavishly ornamented with gold and silver scenes and motifs created using an engraving technique called NUNOME ZŌGAN. In this process, the iron is scored with tiny hash marks giving it a rough texture that the soft metal is then burnished into. On view now in IRON MEN: THE ARTISTRY OF IRON IN SAMURAI ARMOR, book your free timed-entry pass at the link in our bio.