Penang Museum & Art Gallery

Nestled on the junction of Lebuh Farquhar and Lebuh Light is the Penang Museum & Art Gallery. It was established in 1821 and houses national as well as state treasures. The exhibits include a collection of Baba Nyonya pottery, jewellery, furniture, costumes and eight oil paintings by Captain Robert Smith. This museum is billed as one of Malaysia’s best-presented museums.

The museum is separated into two parts: the permanent and the temporary exhibit. The permanent exhibit consists of galleries dedicated to Penang’s historical societies and events.

Outside of the building is an exhibit of one of the original Penang Hill funicular railway cars. It also functions as a souvenir booth. All profits from this booth are donated to the Penang Heritage Trust.

Before the museum was established, the building housed the very first English language public school in the East. The school was established in 1816.

View official website.

Image by Will Ellis.

Opening Hours

Monday – Thursday, Saturday, Sunday: 9am – 5pm.
Friday: Closed.
Public Holidays: Closed.

Admission

RM 10.

Location

Lebuh Light,
10200 George Town,
Penang.

View on map.

Hear From Others

When in George Town, capital of Penang, you can learn about the island’s culture and lifestyle from this State Museum.

Abhijeet Deshpande
Times of India

The Penang State Art Gallery is a comprehensive collection devoted to modern and contemporary art. The non-circulating collection documents painting, sculpture, drawings, prints, photography, architecture, design, performance, video, film, and emerging art forms from 1965 to the present.

PenangFoodie

You could easily spend a couple of hours browsing through the items in this small museum.

Nazlina Hussin
Penang Heritage City

Nearby Attractions

Penang Time Tunnel

The Penang Time Tunnel is no doubt one of Penang’s top tourist destinations which provide a thorough historical chronology of the Island. One of its attractions is a 2D and 3D mural gallery.

Penang City Hall

Built elegantly in 1903 with unique Corinthians pillars and huge windows, the Penang City Hall has its individual story to tell to any visitors that come by.

St. George’s Church

The beautiful St. George’s Church is Southeast Asia’s oldest Anglican Church and has a distinctive Greek design.