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A MAJOR EXHIBITION

ANSELM KIEFER: EARLY WORKS

14 Feb – 15 Jun 2025
★ ★ ★ ★ – The Guardian
★ ★ ★ ★ – The Times

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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.

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SHOP

SHOP THE EXHIBITION

With Anselm Kiefer's Early Works exhibition opening this week, discover the new exhibition range online.

BOOK NOW

ROOFTOP RESTAURANT NEW MENU

Enjoy a delicious lunch or indulgent afternoon tea in our contemporary Rooftop Restaurant. Our new spring menu is available now.

FULLY BOOKED

JAPANESE TEA CEREMONY FEB 2025

Learn about the art of tea in Japan, enjoy a bowl of green tea and watch a demonstration in the Ashmolean’s authentic...

Learn about the art of tea in Japan, enjoy a bowl of green tea and watch a demonstration in the Ashmolean’s authentic Japanese tea house.

Fri 28 Feb 2025, 1pm & 3pm

At the Museum

TALK

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY 2025 TALK

Alice Foster's talk explores the duties and responsibilities of women at work. From depictions of farm workers...

Alice Foster's talk explores the duties and responsibilities of women at work. From depictions of farm workers and hearth keepers in the Middle Ages to picture restorers in the...

Alice Foster's talk explores the duties and responsibilities of women at work. From depictions of farm workers and hearth keepers in the Middle Ages to picture restorers in the 21st century.

Sat 8 Mar 2025, 11am–12pm

At the Museum and Online

FULLY BOOKED

PRINT ROOM VISIT: INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY 2025

Join Dr Caroline Palmer to look at some of the remarkable collection of work by Women artists in the Ashmolean...

Join Dr Caroline Palmer to look at some of the remarkable collection of work by Women artists in the Ashmolean Print Room.

Sat 8 Mar 2025, 2.30–3.30pm

At the Museum

FULLY BOOKED

MIXED MEDIA OF ANSELM KIEFER: ART WORKSHOP

In this one-day workshop with Kieran Stiles, explore how artist Anselm Kiefer uses found objects like burnt wood,...

In this one-day workshop with Kieran Stiles, explore how artist Anselm Kiefer uses found objects like burnt wood, acrylic, charcoal, emulsion, wax, sand and gold leaf to symbolise ideas...

In this one-day workshop with Kieran Stiles, explore how artist Anselm Kiefer uses found objects like burnt wood, acrylic, charcoal, emulsion, wax, sand and gold leaf to symbolise ideas about truth,

Thu 13 Mar 2025, 10.30am–4pm

At the Museum

TALK

WATERCOLOUR PAINTING IN GERMANY: DURER TO KIEFER

Anselm Kiefer produced a significant body of work in watercolour, unusual in the context of cutting-edge contemporary...

Anselm Kiefer produced a significant body of work in watercolour, unusual in the context of cutting-edge contemporary art. This talk introduces highlights of a well-established practice...

Anselm Kiefer produced a significant body of work in watercolour, unusual in the context of cutting-edge contemporary art. This talk introduces highlights of a well-established practice in Germany and the German-speaking...

Anselm Kiefer produced a significant body of work in watercolour, unusual in the context of cutting-edge contemporary art. This talk introduces highlights of a well-established practice in Germany and the German-speaking world since Durer to now.

Thu 20 Mar 2025, 2–3pm

At the Museum and Online

TOUR

CHANGE MAKERS TOURS: 22 MAR 2025

Explore political, social and religious change across time and cultures on this Museum tour of key objects in the...

Explore political, social and religious change across time and cultures on this Museum tour of key objects in the collection, available on various dates.

Sat 22 Mar, 2–3pm

At the Museum

GALLERY ACTIVITY

POETRY IN THE GALLERIES TOUR MARCH 2025

Poets from Oxford and surrounding areas will explore the Museum's contemporary Chinese paintings gallery....

Poets from Oxford and surrounding areas will explore the Museum's contemporary Chinese paintings gallery. Free.

Sat 22 Mar, 2–3pm

At the Museum

MEMBERS ONLY

PAINTING CONTEMPORARY OXFORD ARTIST TALK

Guest-speaker and and contemporary artist, Francis Hamel, will talk about his experience of painting Oxford.

Thu 27 Mar, 2.30–3.45pm

At the Museum and Online

TOUR

CHANGE MAKERS TOURS: 29 MAR 2025

Explore political, social and religious change across time and cultures on this Museum tour of key objects in the...

Explore political, social and religious change across time and cultures on this Museum tour of key objects in the collection, available on various dates.

Sat 29 Mar, 3–4pm

At the Museum

MEMBERS ONLY

A SPOTLIGHT ON GWEN JOHN

An exploration of Gwen John, one of the greatest, but lesser known, British artists of the early 20th century.

Wed 2 Apr, 3.30–4.30pm

At the Museum and Online

MEMBERS ONLY

SAMUEL PALMER: PRINTS AND ETCHINGS TOUR

A tour of the Museum's prints and etchings by Samuel Palmer, a key figure in Romanticism in Britain

Fri 04 Apr, 2:15-3:15pm OR 3:30-4:30pm

At the Museum

TALK

BOG FASHION: NICOLE DERUSHIE AUTHOR TALK

Researching and making Bronze and Iron Age clothes is the subject of this entertaining talk with author-practitioner...

Researching and making Bronze and Iron Age clothes is the subject of this entertaining talk with author-practitioner Nicole DeRushie - and the focus of her new book.

Sat 5 Apr 2025, 2pm–3pm

At the Museum and Online

CREATE & TRANSFORM SEASON

A special season of events, exhibitions and more during spring and summer 2025

CHECK WHAT'S ON

BOOK

ASHMOLEAN ADVENTURE

A fun interactive family experience through the galleries. Book ahead for your weekend visit.

Detail of Hermes on an attic red-figure pottery krater depicting a mythological scene

AUDIO TOUR

MYTHS & REALITY AUDIO TOUR

Download our audio tour and enjoy tales of myths and legends with Dr Janina Ramirez. Suitable for ages 12+.

DO THE TRAIL

TOP 10 TREASURES TRAIL

Pick up a Top 10 Treasure Trail on your visit or download now to discover amazing objects in the Museum.

ASHMOLEAN NOW: BETTINA VON ZWEHL

This third exhibition in the Ashmolean NOW series features photographs and objects by the contemporary London-based artist Bettina von Zwehl. Gallery 8, lower ground floor. Open now

KABUKI KIMONO: Costumes of Bandō Tamasaburō V

Discover the new set of sensational kimonos worn by the famous kabuki actor Bandō Tamasaburō V. Textiles Gallery 5, lower ground floor. Open now

CHEUNG YEE & HIS 1960s HONG KONG CONTEMPORARIES

The first substantial public exhibition of Hong Kong artist Cheung Yee outside of Hong Kong shows his sculptures and works on paper. Chinese Paintings Gallery 11, ground floor. Open now

IMAGES OF AUTHORITY

Discover portraits from across Iran, Britain and France which show personal and political aspirations of ambitious leaders. Gallery 29, first floor. Opens 1 Mar

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.

Browse the floors of the Museum

Use our interactive floor guide to browse the galleries of the Ashmolean floor by floor and images of the objects they contain

BROWSE

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.