We obviously knew of the Musée Guimet’s reputation – they have one of the most important collections os Asian art outside of the continent itself – and we knew that the place have been completely renovated not so long ago, but for some reason we had never got round to actually going (perhaps that’s the proof that Paris can still surprise you even when you live there). Perhaps we were convinced that we didn’t like Asian art.

Going through the museum’s large and numerous exhibition rooms, 5.000m² that reminded us of the Guggenheims of both New York Bilbao, was a revelation. Here’s our photo report…

It a museum of many adjectives: vast, exhaustive, exhausting, surprising… how lucky we are to have the Musée Guimet in Paris! It’s a truly extraordinary place of sensual curves, stark straight lines, white, grey, and even an open mind when it come to contemporary works (often with modern art mixed in with the ancient)… a huge pleasure to walk through and admire.

The entrance is the first shock when you arrive, with its lofty heights and double staircase..The ground floor contains many different spaces and wonderful works of art……then all of a sudden upstairs you come across a perfectly preserved 19th century library!……and more extraordinary pieces. You can feel the passion, the intensity……then there’s an interior terrace (shut, unfortunately), with the Eiffel Tower just behind……and yet more large exhibition rooms, where the sobre nature of the decor offsets the exhibits parfectly…And even after all that there’s still another small floor left to see and – perhaps one day, as it’s closed for the moment and not due to reopen any time soon – the building cupola to see. Gosh!Tired yet? Have a rest, and get ready for… the second building – the Buddhist Pantheon. It’s quieter (not to say deserted and slightly worn out), but there are another 250 pieces to see there, including some giant buddhas, and a sweet zen garden out back that’s a welcome oasis after all that art!……hours and hours of wide-eyed admiration and joy. We thought we had no affinity for this sort of thing, but there was plenty that we really loved, both the impeccably presented exhibits and the building itself.
They also have some good film festivals, stuff for kids, and even an active Twitter feed (albeit in French) to keep you abreast of their activities. A museum steeped in the past but with an eye to the future, in sum. As you might have gathered, we loved it. 🙂

The Musée Guimet (here) is open every day except Tuesdays from 10am – 6pm (closed 1st May, 25th December and 1st January).

Admission: 7.50€ / 5.50€, including audioguide.

Official site: www.guimet.fr

Twitter: www.twitter.com/museeguimet

Achetez vos place en ligne ici.

And here are all our photos! Click the play button to get things started, then click the four small arrows bottom right to go into fullscreen mode. Much easier on the eyes!