The Philadelphia Museum of Art is among the largest and most important art museums in the United States. The collection of Asian art, with objects dating from the third millenium B.C. to the present, includes ceramics, sculpture, paintings, and decorative objects as well as a Japanese ceremonial teahouse, a Chinese palace hall, and a celebrated collection of Oriental carpets. The European collections include medieval sculpture, stained glass, and a 13th-century French cloister; masterpieces of Renaissance painting; a suite of 18th-century French interiors; and Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings. American collections include Pennsylvania German art; furniture and silver by early Philadelphia craftsmen; and a collection of works by Thomas Eakins. The art of the 20th century can be traced from the early innovations of Picasso, Braque, Matisse, and Duchamp to great works of abstract expressionism, pop art, color field painting, and contemporary work in many media.
