[MSN] Chirac's Tribal-Arts Museum Is an Exotic Theater of Culture

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Chirac's Tribal-Arts Museum Is an Exotic Theater of Culture 

(The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of Bloomberg.)

By Jorg von Uthmann 

June 19 (Bloomberg) -- Paris has a new attraction. The Musee du Quai Branly,
as it is blandly called, is President Jacques Chirac's pet project. The
subtitle reveals what it is about: ``Arts and Civilizations From Africa,
Asia, Oceania and the Americas.'' 

Not that most of the material is new to the Parisians. Some 260,000 of the
300,000 objects in the collection come from the Musee de l'Homme at the
Trocadero, on the opposite bank of the Seine. The Musee des Arts d'Afrique
et d'Oceanie, a leftover from the Colonial Exhibition in 1931, contributed
more than 25,000. 

The two museums had been neglected for years; the latter is now closed. 

Chirac discovered what was then called primitive or tribal art more than 20
years ago, when he met Jacques Kerchache, a dealer and collector. 

Kerchache hated the approach of anthropologists who presented these objects
in their societal context or even -- like the American Museum of Natural
History -- under one roof with stuffed animals. He considered them art and
convinced Chirac that a new museum was needed. 

Compared to the building mania of his predecessor, who richly deserved his
nickname ``Mitterramses,'' Chirac had been slow in thinking about a memorial
of his long reign -- first as mayor of Paris (1977-1995), then as president
(since 1995). The ``Musee des Arts Premiers,'' as it was originally called,
fitted the bill to perfection. 

Only a few anthropologists demurred. Their dean, Claude Levi-Strauss, 97,
whose theories about universal patterns of cultural behavior have been
influential, welcomed the project. 

Politics 

There is, of course, a political subtext. Not only does the concept go hand
in hand with the general trend to treat Rembrandt, ``objets trouves'' and
``arte povera'' as members of the same family, it also emphasizes France's
claim to be an honest broker for the Third World. 

It is no accident that the guest of honor at the official inauguration
tomorrow is United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan. 

Still, the to-ing and fro-ing about the name for the museum illustrates that
the difference between ``High and Low'' -- as a show at the MOMA put it --
hasn't simply gone away. The collection on the Quai Branly may be art, yet
the more valuable items from East Asia and India remain at the Musee Guimet.
Nor will the Louvre share its Oriental treasures with the newcomer. 

Art Theater 

Only 3,500 pieces are on permanent view, mostly sculptures made of various
materials, masks, jewelry, ceremonial objects, drums, ceramics, costumes,
partly arranged according to origin, partly around a common theme. 

Jean Nouvel, the architect, who designed two similar buildings in Paris, the
Institut du Monde Arabe and the Fondation Cartier, presents them in an
attractive, almost theatrical way. From the outside, the exhibition area, a
200-meter-long, softly curved gallery on pillars, looks like an exotic ship.


Its most striking feature is a series of boxes of different colors and
sizes, protruding from the gallery like noses. They are, as the visitor
discovers inside, niches for showcases with smaller objects. 

It's safe to predict that the boxes will became conversation pieces like the
escalator tubes and utility pipes at the Pompidou Center. ``It would annoy
me,'' says Nouvel, ``if people mistook the building for an insurance
company.'' There is little danger of that. 

Thanks to the dark panes, ceilings and walls, the inside of the gallery
feels like a giant cave. There is a tree pattern on the tinted glass, and
178 real trees have been planted around the building, occupying one-third of
the site. 

Even the facade of the wing with the offices for the 200 employees follows
the call of the wilderness: It is covered with greenery. It makes for a
stunning sight. 

The museum is located on 37 Quai Branly, close to the Eiffel Tower. It will
be open to the public from June 23. 

(Jorg von Uthmann is a critic for Bloomberg News. The opinions expressed are
his own.) 

Last Updated: June 19, 2006 09:46 EDT