Quai Branly Museum - Jacques Chirac, Ethnographic museum in 7th district, France
The Quai Branly Museum – Jacques Chirac, designed by Jean Nouvel and opened in 2006, stands on the left bank of the Seine near the Eiffel Tower. Its main gallery is a long bridge-like building raised on pilotis, reached by a winding ramp, with a facade of movable wooden shutters and a planted exterior wall. Inside, dimly lit paths lead past masks, sculptures and ritual objects from Africa, Asia, Oceania and the Americas.
This institution opened in 2006 after years of planning under the patronage of President Jacques Chirac, who championed recognition of non-European cultures. Collections were formed by merging holdings from the Musée de l'Homme and the Musée national des Arts d'Afrique et d'Océanie.
The museum's emblem is a Chupicuaro statuette, and its name honours Jacques Chirac, who launched the project. Objects from the collection are also shown in the Gallery of the Five Continents in the Louvre's Pavillon des Sessions, opened before the museum itself. Since 2019 curators have investigated the provenance of 46,000 African objects acquired during the colonial period.
The entrance sits along the Seine and is easily reached by several metro lines, while parking in the area is limited. The building includes elevators and ramps, making all floors accessible to wheelchair users.
Over 15,000 plants from roughly 150 species grow on an 800 square meter (8,600 square foot) vertical garden covering the exterior facade. This green wall changes with the seasons and is maintained through an automated irrigation system.
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