Paris Welcomes The Musee du Quai Branly

Wednesday, 31 May 2006 11:42

Paris, France - French President Jacques Chirac will inaugurate a new museum on 23 June.  The Musee du Quai Branly was designed by Jean Nouvel, the architect of the Institut du Monde Arabe and the Cartier Foundation in Paris, the building, in warm colors and partly covered with wood, will look like a long footbridge set in the midst of trees.  Hidden from view by dense vegetation and protected from the traffic by a silk-screened glass wall, it will reveal itself gradually to visitors who come to discover it.

The architect designed the building with the collections in mind, adapting the interior to the future exhibits.  Glass walls will replace showcases : from the inside, the effects of transparency and the natural backdrop formed by trees will allow the eye to roam freely.  Hanging "boxes", clearly visible from the outside, will immerse visitors in the identity of a people or a culture by presenting works of the same origin together. 

In addition to the galleries for the permanent collections, consisting of plateau of flexible forms, and areas reserved for temporary exhibitions, the building will also house extensive reserves open to researchers, a multimedia library, and an auditorium, as well as lecture and meeting rooms.  A transparent column will display musical instruments and other objects from the reserves related to this theme.  In summer, the auditorium will open onto an open-air theatre.

The garden - Designed by Gilles Clément, the garden, covering an area of 18,000 m2, will encircle the architecture, giving an impression of luxuriant vegetation and creating a natural setting for the collections.

The garden is planted with standard trees (oaks and maples).  To the south, all along the Rue de l'Université and in continuation of the garden belonging to the President of the Republic, there are dense clusters of vegetation (magnolias and cherry trees).