One of Paris’ newer museums (opened in 2006) is a spectacular building designed by Jean Nouvel, and essential for anyone who likes art from Africa and Oceania…



Of course we’ve visited the museum before (here’s our photo report) and had a really nice lunch at their fantastic rooftop restaurant (here), but this museum is so fascinating that it’s worth going back to.

And with two new exhibitions there’s no excuse not to! North Sumatra: The Batak allows us to discover some remarkable artefacts created by this people long cut off from contact with the West, whose ancestral customs are steeped in the mythology of natural forces. The exhibits show highly finished works, created with an evident care for ornamentation.

The second temporary exhibition is called Ivory of Africa, and brings together twenty exceptional pieces from the the mouth of the Congo, Sierra Leone and Nigeria, some dating back as far as the 16th Century.

Don’t forget that the building’s architecture is in itself an attraction! And the location just next to the Eiffel Tower is pretty spectacular…

photo : AlainB

Here’s all the essential information for the Les Batak and Ivoires d’Afriques temporary exhibitions at the Musée du Quai Branly

When: 19th February – 11th May 2008
Where: Musée du Quai Branly, 37 quai Branly, Paris 7th arrondissement. Métro Alma-Marceau (line 9), RER line C – Pont de l’Alma
Opening hours: A little complicated… Closed Mondays (except in April). Other days, opens at 11am and closes at 7pm (Tuesday, Wednesday, Sunday) or 9pm (Thursday, Friday, Saturday). Closed 1st May
Admission: 10 euros adults, 7.5 euros students. Free for under 18s. Free for 18-25 year-olds on Saturdays starting 6pm
Official site: here
Wikipedia page: here

Bigger map here