Guimet Museum, National museum of Asian arts in 16th arrondissement, France
The Guimet Museum is an art institution in Paris that houses one of Europe's largest collections of Asian works. The exhibits come from China, Japan, India, Southeast Asia and other regions, showing sculptures, paintings, ceramics and decorative objects from different periods.
A French industrialist founded this museum in another French city before the entire collection was moved to Paris in the late 1800s. The reassessment and expansion of the holdings played an important role in France's modern museum history.
The collection presents religious artworks from various Asian traditions that continue to hold their original spiritual meaning for visitors today. You can see Buddhist sculptures, ceremonial objects, and sacred texts from different cultures displayed together.
The museum is located in an easily accessible neighborhood, and the interior is laid out clearly so you can visit the different areas without difficulty. It's wise to plan enough time since the collection is extensive and worth lingering over.
During the 1990s, the museum underwent major modernization and received significant artworks from Cambodia that had been stored elsewhere. These works added an important geographical and cultural perspective to the collection.
Location: 16th arrondissement of Paris
Inception: 1889
Founders: Émile Étienne Guimet
Architects: Jules Chatron
Official opening: 1889
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible
Address: Place d'Iéna
Opening Hours: Monday-Sunday 10:00-18:00; Tuesday off; December 25 off; January 01 off; May 01 off; December 24 10:00-16:45; December 31 10:00-16:45; easter -1 day 10:00-16:45; easter +49 days 10:00-16:45
Phone: +33156525300
Website: http://guimet.fr
GPS coordinates: 48.86528,2.29389
Latest update: December 6, 2025 16:01
Paris houses several museums dedicated to Asian art. The Musée Guimet holds one of the most significant collections outside Asia, featuring works from India, China, Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia. The collection includes Buddhist sculptures from Afghanistan, Chinese bronzes, Japanese woodblock prints, and Cambodian stone reliefs. The Musée Cernuschi focuses on Chinese art from antiquity to the early 20th century. The Louvre displays Asian artworks in its Islamic Art department and the Pavillon des Sessions. Additional collections can be found at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs and the Bibliothèque nationale de France. These institutions regularly organize temporary exhibitions on specific themes such as calligraphy, ceramics, or textiles from various Asian regions.
Paris has many themed museums that go beyond the usual tourist circuits. The underground sewer system has been open for visits since the 19th century, allowing visitors to see the technical installations that revolutionized urban hygiene. The fan museum houses over 2,500 pieces from the Renaissance to today, explaining traditional manufacturing techniques. The counterfeiting museum compares authentic products with copies to highlight issues of intellectual property. The Parisian collections cover a variety of fields: Asian art at the Guimet Museum with 45,000 objects from the Neolithic to the 20th century, African and Oceanian cultures at Quai Branly, fairground artifacts from the 19th century at Arts Forains, old automata and magic devices from past centuries. The Museum of Hunting and Nature is housed in a 17th-century townhouse and combines antique weapons with modern designs. These institutions offer unique insights into the social, technical, and artistic history of Paris.
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