James Gaston

On location

Cimetière de Passy

Musée du Quai Branly 29 Oct 2021 Musée du Quai Branly 29 Oct 2021 Paris --

The Musée du Quai Branly Jacques Chirac (yes, that is its ungainly name) is built around a collection of art that spans the globe, the one commonality being that everything on exhibit is from a non-European civilization. The museum, which opened in 2006, faces the Seine and floats on stilts above a field of pampas grass. Inside, a river-like path leads visitors up from ground level and through a series of geographically-grouped exhibits, from Africa to Oceania, then Asia and finally the Americas. At the completion of our visit we were home: we found ourselves looking at familiar pieces, immediately recognizable as being from the First Nations of British Columbia.

The building is itself a work of art. It's not a box, instead it gives the impression that it is flowing, which mirrors the river theme of the main path through the exhibit space. The building features a number of curious little boxes protruding from it, each containing a small room for exhibit space.

I found the collection fascinating and many pieces very beautiful, and I came away thinking the different civilizations offered up unique artistic elements as well as common themes, such as the role of ritual masks and carved poles. On the other hand, at times the spaces felt disorienting and the lighting was problematic. Some areas are too dark, others too bright from sunlight, and the extensive use of glass—I almost walked into a glass wall—generated a lot of reflections. These small criticisms and the mouthful of a name aside, it's an unforgettable experience.

Museum seen from street

Mask

Wallace of Wallace and Gromit

Australian Aboriginal dreamtime drawings

Australian Aboriginal painting

Path through museum

Funerary poles, Australia

On location

Cimetière de Passy