Museum day

Shang Dynasty 18th - 11th Centry B.C.
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This was museum day and I started at one of my favourite Paris museums, the Musee Guimet near Pont Alma. It specialises in Asian art and I have been going there for over 30 years so it was a very pleasant surprise to see the new improved interior .. and it really is an improvement. Much better organization of materials, better signs and information and most of all .. vastly improved lighting (both natural and artificial). This really is a world class museum. I think I appreciated the Cambodian section more because of my trip to Angkor Wat (and what a huge amount of material they have collected – stolen? – from there), but other sections were also appealing .. except for the Korean section. Not sure whether this is a reflection on the museum’s meager collection or the nature of Korean art.

Cong from 3200 - 2000 B.C.
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I paid special attention to one of my all time favourite pieces of art .. the bronze elephant from China which dates from the Shang Dynasty (18th to 11^th Century B.C.) This incredibly ancient work seems to be in excellent condition (one fault …. the lid is missing).

A new discovery for me was the Chinese cong from 3200 – 200 B.C. Liangzhu culture. This is a very mysterious empty cylinder of jade with finely carved squares and circles which has true totem quality.

18th Century Chinese mask
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There was a common Asiatic theme for the day because my next stop was the Museum Jaquemart-Andre for an exhibition of 16^th to 19^th Century Chinese masks. This was a beautifully mounted exhibition which included an odd documentary film made in China in 1992 in which local people reenacted the exorcism ceremonies for which these masks were originally designed. It seemed odd because the people looked very unconvincing and the bystanders seemed bemused by the whole thing .. it reminded me of ceremonies by Native Americans in which they have the costumes and head-dresses, but their demeanor lacks confidence or conviction and that undermines the whole enterprise. In any case, the masks were very beautiful ; my favourite was one made in two parts .. the top mask which was rather benign could be hinged aside to reveal the ferocious face underneath.

18th Century Chinese mask
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The museum is a beautiful private house which has a permanent collection of European masters .. or perhaps to be more accurate .. lots of works attributed to (or from the School of) masters. I didn’t see anything really striking in the collection but in truth, it is the whole effect which is so pleasing. Lovely rooms designed for living as well as exhibiting art .. a real gem and I plan to go again because of its special ambience.