For what it's trying to be, an international art museum, this place is bizarre. But this is an amazing place to visit with irony and an eye for propaganda. Almost everything is covered by a facade that is meant to connote upper-class European finery: plastic "marble," painted-on "wood," unnecessary greek columns, highfalutin language. Most if not all of the art is either fake, a poorly done print (you can see pixels on 1/3 of the prints), or mass produced. The downstairs entrance area is liminal simulacra on steroids—a failed theme park—Lost Vegas. Either there's a rich benefactor who's blatantly stroking his own ego or some kind of Chinese propaganda around the Tibet region. Go on Tuesdays when it's free.

TLDR: free museum that also holds the candlelight concerts! We spent an hour in this free museum and the art displayed was nice to see. The interior has a beautiful nature display on both sides and it has a semi-large area for the candlelight concert. The staff are very friendly and helpful as well

Free admission, nice art, and pleasant interior makes this a good place to stop by. There are some small lakes inside, with some small structures. They were decorated beautifully for Halloween. Most of the art is on the second floor. There's also a gift shop. Most of the works are from Asia. Flash photography, food, and drinks aren't allowed. Stop by if you have some time and you like art.

IAMA has a great collection of Chinese paintings. Their landscapes are my favorite. The simple nature of the brush strokes enhance the silhouettes of trees, mountains and waterfalls. Displays throughout the second floor are also filled with interesting works of animals, humans and plants. The bronze sculptures are very unique. Definitely worth checking out.

I was waiting for my emergency passport pickup at 3:30 pm that day, and had a couple hours after lunch to hang around in that area. When I was thinking where I can kill the time while waiting, this museum jumped out in google maps. It turned out to be a great experience for me, there are only me and maybe one or two people in the museum that day, so I can appreciate those exhibits quietly, especially those masterpieces of Chinese famous painters, like Zhang Daqian, Qi Baishi, Xu Beihong, Li Keran, etc, if you know Chinese art history, you know what they mean. I highly recommend this place if you happen to have some time in this area. BTW, the lady in the front door is very nice, she welcomed me and gave me a introduction, and the lady in gift shop can speak Chinese, we had a short chat in Chinese after I finished my watching, she was very nice as well, she even gave me a bookmark as a gift. Anyway, it is definitely a very good place deserving to pay a visit.

An international museum with primarily Asian artwork. Admission is Free. They have an audio tour but I found it easier just to walk and read. The walk thru is enjoyable if you are into art.

Beautifully curated experience, went for my birthday on a Thursday evening and timing was perfect, the quartet was Amazing! They rocked out and it was so classy and elegant. The venue is convenient for walking.

Came to this location for a candlelight concert by Fever, and they did a really great job with creating a cozy, romantic, beautiful atmosphere for the concert closed off from the main bustle of the street right outside. The museum was open after the show as well to tour through and they have some beautiful pieces of art, rivers and water displays, and more.

We loved the Hans Zimmer Event by Fever. The musicians were extremely talented and connected to the music. The candlelight was magical and provided a relaxing way to experience the music on a whole new level. What a special event.

Had an amazing time at this museum. The art work was so beautiful I learned a lot about the featured artist painting and sculptures its a nice hidden treasure in SF. Each piece catches your eye and the choice of colors and birthstones collaboration with the paintings are breathtaking will be back again Patricia and Shu were nice and helpful.

What a wonderful place to visit. Lots of nice paintings. Definitely worth visiting again. There are also events throughout the year which is worth noting.

The candlelight concert was amazing. Music was relaxing. The candles placed around the facility make it very inviting. Great group or date night activity. Well organized. Helpful staff onsite. Clean bathrooms available. Centrally located near downtown shops, restaurants, and hotels if you would like to turn it into a full day trip. Parked in the hourly parking lot around the corner. Would definitely go again.

Cool museum with lots of art... Most of which is by the guy who financed it, H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III, and so the intent of the museum is not so subtly to show off this guy's art specifically. I was a bit put off by that, but entry was free and I did like the art, so I'd say it's worth going to.

The most peaceful place in San Francisco. Beautiful gallery, wonderful art. Must see.

You could easily skip this museum while in SF and not miss out on anything. It’s free, so you won’t lose anything if you decide to stop in. It’s a smaller museum so it won’t take long to read the descriptions or listen to the guided audio tour on a handset they give you for free during visit (only 12-15 short audio clips associated with some paintings). Friendly staff, but they don’t allow pictures for some reason, and all the art is essentially by one individual. Strong 2.5 stars.

This is a very cute museum. It doesn’t have huge collections like the famous museums; however, it collected good quality paintings. For those who live Chinese water color paintings, especially for Chinese impressionist paintings (写意画）it is worth to visit.

I went to the New Year Masquerade Ball here 2023 and it was soooo azing! I got to kiss my beautiful online date and we had a blast!

Cozy museum with a lovely permanent collection of Asian artwork. Free admission and friendly staff make it a nice stop if you are in the area!

Fantastic exhibition of the work of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III. The museum was beautiful inside and quiet. Definitely recommend and it is amazingly free. It does have a great gift shop at the exit to pic out momentos of your visit.

Beautiful paintings, it is very comfortable to come in and visit. It is really worthwhile to see the works of many master artists at the same time.

It was free and hauntingly empty but a fun experience. Can't complain for free. Workers were extremely nice. Most of the art seemed to be by the same artist and mostly Chinese art, so the "international" part seems a bit misleading, I think this place is owned by some eccentric rich artist as more of his own personal outlet, yet nonetheless, it was an experience and a good way to pass some time.

What an amazing little hidden cultural gem. Absolutely worth looking at if you're nearby

Beautiful art. Mostly Asian art with some European. Patricia (staff) was so kind and genuine

Loooove. Yes, a lot of the people here are annoyed about waiting in line. So, be prepared to wait in line. I do recommend buying tickets online. Even though admission is free (if you wait on the free admission line), that line goes on forever.

Although my wife and I have walked by this place 100 times, we've never actually gone in past the first floor. Upon exploring further we were blown away. This gallery is a museum of beautiful art and, more than that, it's a powerful experience. This place is a must see! Doesn't cost a penny, and you will leave with a new look on life.

Amazing art museum and totally free! Great opportunity to see non-western art. Super friendly staff. We had a lovely time tine there.

This was the weirdest museum I ever visited. I think it was actually a religious Buddhist place disguised as a museum. 90% of the art was by some man who is apparently Buddha the third. The rest, it is hard to believe any of it was genuine since it was such an eclectic collection.

Mostly Chinese paintings and calligraphy works. Could do a better job of presenting the interesting works. There is a little bit of religious overtone. No Japanese language recorded guide event thought said available.

At first walk in, I didn't expect what was to come! The works on the upper floors were world class with Chinese, Japanese and Dutch art and more. This museum is a non-profit so entrance was free, which is astounding. No photos were allowed, but the gift shop is helpful for that.

What I’m about to say really happen to my wife and I. We visited the museum because we like to look at art work. As my wife and I was taking pictures of the art work to put Into our photo album book the security guard told us we can not take pictures of the art work or nothing else on the upper level. He literally stood over me and was like you are going to have to delete some of the pictures off your phone that you just took. I was shocked. My wife and I have been to many museum and have never had that happen to us until today. So I’m strongly suggesting that If your Considering going to this museum don’t. Please do not waste your time. The parking Is terrible And It’s just not worth It. They have a gift shop that we would normally be happy to buy Items from. However because of our experience there we didn’t buy nothing.

Cleanest bathrooms in SF. Fairly dead location. Very friendly staff. Spacious. Very strange downstairs. The good artwork is upstairs. Above average souvenirs.

I don't have pictures of the exhibit. There's a lot of world class Chinese watercolor. I'll definitely bring my family when they come to visit.

This was my first time ever going to a candlelight event. Actually it was my first time hearing about it! And the atmosphere was inviting, the crowd was kind and respectful about not taking photos or videos during the show. The performers were so fun to watch and hear. It was a beautiful experience. Something I would do differently next time, I’d spend a little more money on getting closer seats to the stage to get a better view which would enhance the experience. I would definitely recommend!