If you're interested in Asia (as well as Paris), then this lesser-known museum is somewhere you should try to stop by. It's full of well-preserved archeological treasures from all over Asia - from Afghanistan to Japan and many points in between.
If you've been to Angkor Wat in Cambodia then many of the exhibits will seem familiar - they have many excellent items from that country. A fascinating place.
It's open daily except Tuesdays from 10am, last entrance is 5.30pm. Museum cards are accepted; if you don't have one then the normal adult entrance is 7 euros.
Updated Apr 4, 2011
Address: 6, place d'Iena, 75016 Paris
Phone: +33 1 56 52 53 00
One of the most interesting and wonderful Paris' museums with the Art of Asia. You can visit the collection of art from India, Burma,Thailand, Nepal, Tibet, Vietnam, Japan, China and some other ones countries on the 4 floors.
The collection is rich and really amazing. Some pieces of art are very old and they really are breathtaking.
It is opened every day without Tuesdays in hours: 10.00 a.m -6 p.m.
There is also a small shop near this museum and I really recomend it as there are a lot of interesting souvenirs there.
Written Nov 14, 2008
Website: www.museeguimet.fr
Musée Guimet, one the most (if not The Most) extraordinary museums of Oriental Art in the world,
do not forget to visit its beautiful Annex nearby, the Musée du Panthéon Bouddhique with its Japanese garden
(19 avenue d'Iéna 75016).
The Guimet Museum has the largest collection of Asian art outside Asia.
The museum which was first located at Lyon in 1879 and was handed over to the state and transferred to Paris in 1885,
was founded by Émile Étienne Guimet, an industrialist.
Devoted to travel, Guimet was in 1876 commissioned by the minister of public instruction to study the religions of the Far East, and the museum contains many of the fruits of this expedition, as well as to those of Ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome.
Updated Aug 22, 2006
Address: 6 Place d'Iéna 75 116 Paris
Website: http://www.museeguimet.fr
This is the museum for Asia artifacts in Paris. Located in the elegant 16th and recently renovated, it is a nice small museum to visit. Of course the Cambodian and Vietnamese objects are the result of colonial plunder -- the upside is the excellent way in which they are displayed, post-renovation.
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I have additional photos from this museum in a travelogue on my Phnom Penh page.
Updated Jul 30, 2006
Address: 6, place d'Iéna
Phone: +33 1 56 52 53 00
Website: http://www.museeguimet.fr/
I spent a beautiful Sunday afternoon there, it was so hot outside. There is a very interesting temporary exhibition (1662-1796 paintings for the Qing emperors) up to July 24th 2006.
I love this museum, specially the Rotunda: Emile GUIMET has conceived this museum as a centre for study. Thousands of books were housed in this rotunda (neo-classical architecture), first dedicated to Religions. It was inaugurated in 1889, and now it is protected as a historical monument. At the top of the Rotunda we can see the first photos of China and Japan by Baron Stillfried.
The Salon de thé offers a range of Asian dishes, all along the day, and various teas of course.
I will surely come back, there is so much to see, and to meditate.
Updated Jun 13, 2006
Address: 6, Place d'Iéna, Metro IENA
Website: www.museeguimet.fr
Even with the renovation of the entire museum completed the entrance to Musée Guimet can be a bit elusive. It is equi-distant between two métro stops, on a corner, with a small banner and doesn't look much different from the otehr surrounding grand mansions. But once you enter the delights of the Louvre's Asia collection will unfold for you.
Written Jun 6, 2005
Address: 6, place d'Iéna
Phone: +33 1 56 52 53 00
Website: http://www.museeguimet.fr/
I'm spending so much time on this museum because many people don't even know it exists. It is, in fact, the Asian "wing" of the Louvre and now that it has been completely renovated, it provides a superior museum experience.
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It is near The Paris City Museum of Modern Art as well as the Museum of Man in Palais Chaillot so you could easily spend a "musem day" in the area!
Updated Mar 8, 2005
Be sure to visit the museums website. They have a very sophisticated interactive gallery visit. It is well worth the long load time.
.
Especially helpful for parents with children is the part of the website designed for "les jeunes"
Updated Jan 29, 2005
Address: 6, place d'Iéna
Phone: 01 56 52 53 00
Website: http://www.museeguimet.fr/
The artifacts on the main floor of the museum include Thailand, India, Cambodia and Vietnam. This Thai statue is of gilded wood.
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It is the national museum of Asiatic arts -- in effect, a branch of the Louvre.
Updated Jan 29, 2005
Address: 6, place d'Iéna
Phone: +33 1 56 52 53 00
Website: http://www.museeguimet.fr/
The Musee Guimet is one of Paris' best kept secrets and is an absolute must if you have an interest in Central Asian history. It is simply, in a very small space, one of the world's best Asian museums.
Of course much of what is in this museum was plundered from tombs and monuments. Even if the museum purchased or were given the artefacts legitimately - and I am sure that they did, of course - the question remains as to whether the best place for these treasures is really in Paris. The same can be said for many other museums in Europe and elsewhere.
The first stop should be the museum's bookshop, where you can buy a guidebook. The exhibits themselves are labelled but there are not many explanatory panels. In the case of the Guimet, there is really little space for them!
The exhibits have been very deliberately chosen to display the very best from the many countries, so don't expect to see vast quantities of artefacts from any one country. It is a wise policy, and the result is a stunning colection, where every piece is a real gem.
The museum is - unsurprisingly, given the geographical coverage - particularly strong in Buddhist art , and it is a good idea to start in the area which deals with early Buddhist art from Pakistan, known as the Gandharan style. Many are shocked to see clear Greek styling in this Asian art, an obvious connection between Greece/Macedonia and Pakistan existed at Gandhara! The sections on Afghanistan and Xinjiang show the Central Asian influences as the European style declined....as Buddhism slowly filtered through the Karakoram Passes into Xinjiang and then eastwards along the Silk Road. Buddhism came to China (then Korea and Japan) not by sea through south-east Asia, but on a camel's back.
If I had to pick a single star of the show, it would have to be the grey Bodhisattva Maitreya statue in the Gandharan style.
If, of course, you cannot get to Paris, then it is worth taking the virtual tour at the website which shows many of the pieces.
Written Jan 24, 2005
Address: 6 place d'Iena
Phone: (01) 56 52 53 00
Website: http://www.museeguimet.fr
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The Musee Guimet is one of Paris' best kept secrets and is an absolute must if you have an interest in Central Asian history. It is simply, in a very small...
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