Museum of Ethnic Arts

Top choice in Chinatown, Merdeka Square & Bukit Nanas


Although billed as a museum, the bulk of items are for sale in this extraordinary private collection of tribal arts from Borneo. You'll also find Nonya ceramics, Tibetan thangka paintings, Chinese paintings and porcelain, embroidered wall hangings, hand-carved boxes and doors, and all manner of delights from Malaysia and the region.

Connected next door is a gallery of contemporary artworks.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Chinatown, Merdeka Square & Bukit Nanas attractions

1. RUANG by Think City

0.03 MILES

The urban rejuvenation outfit Think City has taken over the elegant art deco OCBC building, originally designed in 1938 by British architect Arthur Oakley…

2. Medan Pasar

0.05 MILES

Pedestrianised Medan Pasar was once the heart of Chinatown. Kapitan Yap Ah Loy, often cited as one of KL's founders, lived here, and in addition to…

3. Kuen Stephanie Sculptures

0.07 MILES

The red-painted metal sculptures located on this pedestrianised square are based on artworks by Kuen Stephanie and depict scenes from Malaysian life in…

4. Sin Sze Si Ya Temple

0.08 MILES

Kuala Lumpur's oldest Chinese temple (1864) was built on the instructions of Kapitan Yap Ah Loy and is dedicated to Sin Sze Ya and Si Sze Ya, two Chinese…

5. National Textiles Museum

0.12 MILES

This excellent themed museum occupies an elegant Mogul-style building originally constructed for the railway works department. The lower floors cover the…

6. Former Standard Charter Bank

0.14 MILES

One of the most handsome pieces of architecture around Merdeka Sq, this was the Standard Charter Bank when first built in 1891. It's currently closed.

7. Masjid Jamek Sultan Abdul Samad

0.16 MILES

This graceful, onion-domed mosque, designed by British architect AB Hubback, borrows Mogul and Moorish styles with its brick-and-plaster banded minarets…

8. Sultan Abdul Samad Building

0.16 MILES

Seizing attention with its 41m clock tower, coppery domes and lacy arches, this was the first public building in Malaysia designed in the Mogul (or Indo…