Musee du qual Branly

February 2019

The Musee du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac is a highlight of any visit to Paris. The museum explores the indigenous art and cultures of Africa, Asia, Oceania and the Americas. It is located on the left bank of the River Seine.

The museum possess a fantastic collection, I wrote about the Benin Bronzes a number of years ago and I wanted to see some of the them which this museum possesses in its collection they were fabulous. I was really looking forward to seeing these objects. I am fascinated by the skills needed to produce them. These objects highlight the skills and civilisation that existed in Nigeria in Africa at this time. The museum’s non European objects within its collection show examples of the cultures and the skills needed to create these beautiful objects.

The entrance to the museum is through a small garden area, tickets are purchased outside before you walk up a path towards the entrance with a large shop on your left hand side which offers an excellent selection of products. The entrance to the museum is a little non descript. The galleries are upstairs and are accessed via a ramp, a word stream flows down this ramp up into the gallery space a really affective entrance.

Les Ombres

The museum has a food and drink building located within its gardens. I had decided to visit the expensive Les Ombres restaurant. Its amazing views of the Eiffel Tower. Its pre-book only, so if you fancy visiting book first via the phone or website. The online form is in French only so be aware of the prenomes or you may end up putting the wrong one like me. Its also useful to know the French name for United Kingdom which is Royaume-uni took me a while to find that out.

The food places within the museum are in a little separate building across a lovely garden area. The café looked very welcoming. The entrance to the restaurant was a little difficult to get to due to winter development work. I had to exit the museum and walk around the lobby area, where I took the lift to the terraced restaurant.

The welcome was excellent, I was seated at a lovely table with a great view of the Eiffel Tower, on a warmer day the outside seating would enhance this excellent experience. The service was superb and exactly what I had expected. I treated myself to the three course set menu with an excellent glass of white wine (Chablis Savage). The prawn starter was amazing, the main course Pollock, I was slightly disappointed but a nice dish. A lovely chocolate desert provided a fine finish to an excellent meal.

The food was excellent, although I was disappointed I didn’t find it value for money whether my expectations were to high, I am not sure. The service and views made up for the minor disappointment regarding the pollock.

The Museum

The non European cultures displayed in this museum, presents an opportunity to engage with the ‘other’ and immerse yourself in the unfamiliar. The religious and cultural objects on display enabled me to gain an insight into a wide range of cultures, it was a great experience. I wish to visit similar exhibitions exploring other cultures to find out more about the world I live in.

The museum offers a fantastic experience of non-European cultures and their histories, I really enjoyed the experience, I look forward to trying the café on my next visit.