MAO Museum of Oriental Art
The MAO Museum of Oriental Art is Turin's museum dedicated to the arts of Asia, housed in Palazzo Mazzonis, at via San Domenico 11, and open since December 2008[1][2]. The palace dates back to 1587 and was renovated in 1723; a residence of the Solaro family, in 1870 it was bought by Paolo Mazzonis and became the office building of a textile manufacturer, and after decades of neglect was purchased by the City in 1980[1]. The museum sums up this history as a passage from a residence of Savoy nobility to a factory, to a witness of the Years of Lead, and finally to a "gateway to Asia"[1].
The 2008 layout was directed by Andrea Bruno with Franco Ricca as consultant, while the building's restoration followed the design of architects Durbiano, Isola and Reinerio[1]. The collections comprise about 2,300 works, from the Neolithic to the early twentieth century, displayed across five galleries dedicated to South and Southeast Asia, China, Japan, the Himalayan region and the Islamic countries of Asia; in 2015 a space for temporary exhibitions was created on the ground floor[1][2].
The MAO is one of the three museums of the Fondazione Torino Musei, together with the GAM and Palazzo Madama[3]. The website maotorino.it presents the collections, temporary exhibitions and visitor information[2]. In the Torino Top 100 ranking for September 2026, the site ranks among the 50,000 most visited sites in Italy according to Google's Chrome UX Report.
Related articles: Galleria Civica d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea, Palazzo Madama
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