20 Years of Collection Enrichment at Musée du quai Branly — Jacques Chirac
20 Years of Collection Enrichment
Musée du quai Branly — Jacques Chirac
September 24, 2019 — January 26, 2020
Twenty years. Since the creation of the musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac, over 77,000 works, composed of both historic and contemporary pieces, have been added to its collection. How has it been formed, what perspectives have shaped it, and what has been the underlying critical thought? 20 Years of Collection Enrichment presents the museum’s acquisitions between 1998 and 2018: the history of a young institution and its behind-the-scenes universe, through some 500 iconic works. Although the museum only opened in 2006, it has had grand plans for its collections since its creation in 1998. It seeks to photograph, provide information on and restore the works inherited from the Musée National des Arts d’Afrique et d’Océanie and the musée de l’Homme. At the same time, the institution has developed its own acquisition policy designed to highlight the main elements that forge the identity of these inherited collections, while developing new avenues. Its aim is to demonstrate the vitality of creation from Africa, Asia, Oceania and the Americas and to expand our knowledge of these cultures, whether living, undergoing transformation or lost.
The collection has also been considerably enriched thanks to the generosity of patrons, to whom the exhibition pays tribute. In twenty years, and still to this day, 77,082 items have been acquired – 15,857 objects and 61,225 graphic or photographic works –, 60% of which in the form of gifts. The musée du quai Branly–Jacques Chirac collection, amassed from the 16th century to the modern day, is part of a long history. It reveals the perspectives and tendencies that have shaped it, while broadening and reaffirming knowledge. Images of journeys and expeditions, objects from the collections of artists and intellectuals who have contributed to the recognition of non-European arts – Apollinaire, Matisse and Lévi-Strauss, among others – archive documents, paintings and contemporary photos, etc., the works, unique in their style, aesthetic, rare character or antiquity, contribute to enriching world heritage and its dissemination.
The exhibition also seeks to better understand the fabric of national collections. For the first time, 20 Years of Collection Enrichment retraces this acquisition policy and takes a new look at the constitution of knowledge around a collection. This educational circuit presents the ethical and legal issues involved in an acquisition process, and the accompanying human factors and scope of subjectivity. Curators and professionals in the museum sphere take the floor, while multimedia devices explore the different stages in the life of a work – from its presentation to the committee to its incorporation into the collections, as well as the scientific analyses.
The exhibition thus unveils what the public cannot ordinarily see, the inner workings of an institution, the professions involved, and the work done by the men and women labouring away in the shadows. As part of an immersive tour,visitors can take a look behind the scenes of the museum and thus see it in a new light.
20 Years of Collection Enrichment views national collections as a living whole, an evolving legacy. As the guarantor of this active heritage, the musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac is initiating a critical examination of how its collection is developed and thus questions its very essence and its role in the light of the 21st century.
Watch the trailer for 20 Years of Collection Enrichment at Musée du Quai Branly — Jacques Chirac.
