The Grassi Museum of Applied Arts first opened in 1874 and is now one of the most recognised of its type in Europe. It has three permanent collections as well as temporary exhibitions centred on design, craftsmanship, architecture and photography throughout the year, including the Grassimesse show and trade fair held every October. The collection consists of over 230,000 works of European and non-European craftsmanship from antiquity to present day. The permanent exhibition “From Ancient times to Historism” covers over 3,000 years of art history. The exhibition “Asian art: Impulse for Europe” displays art treasures from China, Japan and Iran; ceramics, lacquer pieces and tea ceremony vessels are included in the 400 exhibits on show. The exhibition “From Art Nouveau to the present day” consists of Bauhaus pieces, objects from 1950, East German design and contemporary pieces.