arriba

2 years ago we trekked out to this musuem to see the paintings of the Orientalists only to find they had been moved to the Louvre. Some official had taken a great interest in these paintings and they were in the process of being moved into the Louvre while we were there. We never saw them and understand that now they have been moved back out to the Musee des Arts d' Afrique. Does anyone have any information about this? We have tried emailing the Louvre but no one seems to be able to answer the question. Thanks!

clairobscur

It won't ever reopen. I liked a lot this museum, by the way.

The current french president wants to open a new and modern "museum of prime arts" that will regroup the related colections of several other parisian museums, and in particular the collections of "Musee des arts africains et oceaniens" (also from the "Musee de l'homme" that is currently closed too, if I'm not mistaken).

I don't know when the new museum will open, but it will probably take a number of years.

However, you're interested in orientalist paintings, and these are only tangentially related to the former "musee des arts africains et oceaniens" and to the new museum of prime arts. So, it's very posible that these paintings will be displayed (or at least kept) by some other museum. But I really couldn't help you to find out where. Maybe they're going to stay in some basement during the next two decades, for all I know.And I've no clue where you could find the info. I can only say that you won't find them in the now defunct MAAO.

cigalechanta

there's an email here that hopefully is of help.
http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/label_...e/afrique.html

clairobscur

Unfortunately, Cigalechanta, this document dates back from 1999, and the museum closed since.

I googled around, found some (contradictory) infos about what they have done/ intend to do with the collections of african, etc.. art of the former museum but unfortunately nothing altogether about orientalist paintings (actually I didn't even know they had such paintings).

cigalechanta

how sad no update, thanks, clairobscur
I would have like to see some real orientalist paintings.

AnthonyGA

There's a gigantic eyesore of a musuem approaching completion on the quai Branly in the Seventh, near the Eiffel Tower, that will exhibit this type of art. It's the Musée du Quai Branly; see

http://www.quaibranly.fr

As with so many "grands projets" in Paris, the architecture is glaringly at odds with surrounding buildings, but in this case the government has also thrown away a huge plot of prime riverfront real estate on the museum (although I suppose it would have simply gone to apartments for the very rich if it had not been used for this).

cigalechanta

Thanks, Anthony, for posting this. I couldn't find any update.