OK, let%26#39;s get the obvious — and the good — out of the way first. The building is stunning, bold in conception and splendid in execution. Second the exhibits themselves are magnificent, though those we probably didn%26#39;t see may have been even better than those we did. We will never know...
Now to the meat of the matter. This emperor has no clothes, IMO.
First it is entirely unclear to me what the mission of this museum is and I suspect that the reason that is so unclear is that the very existence of the museum was controversial from day one. As a result there is no clear sense of *why* we are presented with the objects on display nor what we are supposed to take away from the experience.
Second, there is absolutely no logic or pattern that I can discern as to how the exhibits are arranged. Granted the museum is divided into four major areas, Africa, Asia, the Americas and Oceania, and we know which one we are in by the color of the floor — when it is not too dark to make that out. After that there is little or no signage indicating where in those vast regions you are at any given moment, no geographical or historical %26quot;flow%26quot; from one group of exhibits to another.
Third the information, such as it is, on the various objects is poorly presented, again with no logic or pattern. Sometimes labels are at the back of deep cases, poorly lit and much too far from the visitor to be easily read. Sometimes information is at floor level (!) sometimes well above eye level. Sometimes it is on the side of a case in near darkness, and placed so that you cannot read the labels at the same time as you are looking at the object.
Fourth the information that is presented is inadequate for any but scholars. We are given the barest amount of information telling us what an object is, where it comes from and when it was made. Very little — usually no — information is given as to how the object may have been used or why it is significant. We are dealing here with objects that are very foreign to most %26quot;western%26quot; eyes. We all think we know a bit of what a Renoir painting is about but most of us come to these exhibits as naive as a three year old in the Louvre. (Incidentally the information, such as it is, is riddled with inaccuracies and omissions, but that is another issue...)
Fifth, when there is some general information presented — and there is not enough and much of what there is is difficult to find and equally difficult to read — there is often some scoring of political or philosophical points taking precedence over the imparting of straightforward information. I don%26#39;t need the museum%26#39;s curators (or whoever is responsible) telling me what to think, thank you very much. Just tell me what I am looking at and give me as much historical background as I need.
Fifth, some of the exhibits are very poorly displayed. There are, for example, some splendid (I think...) very large early Ethiopian Christian paintings hung abutting one another round three sides of a box-like room about the size of a small cargo container. There is no way to see these paintings adequately even if you were the only person in the room. With a couple of dozen other pople it is an exercise in meaningless claustrophobia. Another case of small exhibits is in a niche on the wall of a narrow passageway where people are forced to pass in opposite directions. Anyone stopping to spend time looking at these objects would impede traffic flow in both directions.
Finally, and to wrap up this too long rant, there is absolutely no logical flow of traffic through the exhibits which means that people are constantly bumping into each other and that visitors really have no way of knowing which pieces of a particular section they have seen. The result is that most visitors wander round in a daze unti they get bored or tired and then leave — if they can find the exit which is not easy. There is nowhere within the museum to just sit and contemplate, and the lighting is so bad — mostly one is in near darkness — that to sit and write notes would be difficult, even if there were somewhere to sit.
And, most disappointing of all, aside from its maze-like quality, I think this is the least child-friendly museum I have ever been in in France.
All in all I found the museum frustratiing and ultimately annoying. All a bit sad since all these objects were already on display in one of the other major ethnographic museums in Paris. This is a museum which did not need to be built, IMO, and it shows. A colossal waste of money, and, unless it is closed for several months and completely rethought, I think it will quickly become a great white elephant by the Seine.
I%26#39;d love to hear the views of others, especially those who disagree with me.
Perhaps I%26#39;d just had too much lunch...
PS: For those who don%26#39;t speak French, the word %26quot;déception%26quot; means disappointment, not deception, but the pun was intentional...
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First of all, I am truly sorry that you found this museum to be a disappointment because I know how you were looking forward to paying it a visit. I have read all your criticisms, and they make sense, even to a person who hasn%26#39;t been there. I was wondering, though, if other people are as critical as you are. In any case, I sincerely believe you should let the proper authorities know how you feel, since some of these failures can be corrected if an effort is made.
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Hmmm, funnilly all the people (I haven%26#39;t been myself yet, even though I work almost next door) I sent there and from which I got feedback were all positively surprised.
But I share your opinion, it was a waste of money but Mr Chirac HAD to leave a trace of his %26quot;reign%26quot; in Paris, such as Mitterrand, I don%26#39;t blame him, his predecessor build the most ugly library in the world EVER and a very controversial Pyramid...
The problem with Branly were the delays, it HAD to open on the 20th of June and it wasn%26#39;t ready so I guess they had to spare on the details. Have you been at the cafe on the terrace?
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Irish --
I haven%26#39;t been to the museum in question. I am sitting here having read your comments and I have to wonder how anyone could graduate from Museum Curator School without passing %26quot;People have to be able to read the signs, stupid - 101%26quot;.
Needless to say, you have touched on one of my pet peeves where a museum or gallery is concerned. I shall make a note of the museum so I don%26#39;t accidently set myself up to be thoroughly irritated on my vacation. Thank you for your observations.
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I liked the museum ( the first one built in Paris in 20 years). I did see the entire museum.
I agree with your comments: %26quot;The building is stunning, bold in conception and splendid in execution. Second the exhibits themselves are magnificent.... %26quot;
(Every leader in France has put his name on at least one or more new museums in Paris.)
I went June 23 the grand opening day the free day for the Paris public .
It was crowded (but not as bad as the first Free Sunday at Orsay in June they closed it to any more admissions at 2:30 pm because it was so filled!) as they did permit people in as people left ( crowd control). The gardens were not finished as yet! They were still installing art work. There were no English audio guides as yet or any English or French paper guides.
Did any of this improve when you went?
I disagree about your comment about places to sit. I am handicapped and I must sit as standing for long periods is not good for me. I found elevators for handicap and wheelchairs if one wanted them. I thought even the handicap restrooms were very nice.
I found many places to sit but they were not in the open flow of people movement or %26quot;the maze as you termed it%26quot;. Usually they were next to interactive TV screens (in alcoves and along the sides of the walkways). The TV monitors were in English ( and other languages) and a touch of a screen brought up many different selections. Many children would come up and sit next to me and watch and I would have them touch the screens for me! I was surprised at all the children who were interested in the types of dance and music. Parents were dragging their kids away as they were showing a real interest!
I think children would be excited about the masks and the colorful textiles and clothing and even strange musical instruments. I would love to see the field trip questions that the school children will have to find or answer when their teachers take them to see this museum.
At the entrance to the museum everyone who entered was given a list of pictures and a list of countires that one had to match up. It was interesting and amusing to see how wrong I was choosing which item belonged to which continent!
I really like the %26quot;musee of the people of the world%26quot; (%26quot;anthropologie%26quot;). One could walk from one area to another and see the similar development of man in different lands . The masks were so interesting to see the similar art work and designs being used in different ares of the world! There were already on that first day artists drawing the masks and copying art work that was on display.
I was interested in comparing the exhibit of Pacific Northwest Indians to what I have seen in my own Pacific Northwest. It was very good but I would hope that even more distinctive ones might be contributed from our country for temporary displays at Quai Branly. ( I understand this musee was the %26quot;cooperation internationale%26quot;.) They already have a permanent collection of 300,000 items.
I wish as you said that more English descriptions were included with the items on display. The developer could take a look at the Museum of Arts and Meters and see how to display and describe items in English and French beautifully.
I was thinking the audio guide might explain more? Did it?
Were you able to see any of the theater, dance or music presentations? I did get a copy of the first years museum progam but nothing was planned on the opening days.
I did go to the cafe for a snack . It was open airy and nice. The food was good. They were still working on the gardend and the walk ways so I can not comment on them. The docents uniforms were beautiful colored and lovely suits but I felt so bad for the uniformed high-heeled women. I ask one young woman and she said the shoes hurt her feet so very much!
Sorry, you did not like the museum Irish. I know the other museum you referred to. Did the items go to the Quai Branly Museum or is it still open and complete ?
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I visited the Musée du Quai Branly too (one or two weeks ago) and have to agree with IrishRovr - although not with his %26quot;splendid in execution%26quot; comment.
The museum looks like it has been finished in great haste. They%26#39;re still working on the garden, but apparently the building itself isn%26#39;t finished either - at one end of the building there still was scaffolding, and the sound of grinders and drills. The painting and decorating obviously had been done in a hurry; the linoleum has been glued on an uneven concrete floor, resulting in bubbles and bumps everywhere.
There was very little signing to guide the visitors, and the toilets probably won%26#39;t get used much as no one can find them. (hint: look for a black door in a black and hardly lit hallway). Most explanatory texts were in French only.
But apparently, the problem wasn%26#39;t money - they used probably hundreds square meters of thick leather to cover walls and seats, and incredible amounts of inch-thick glass everywhere. I have no problem with corporate sponsorship, but found the many sponsor signs a bit annoying. Luckily they were mainly in the first part of the visit.
I had a look in the guest book at the exit, and noticed a lot of similar criticism from other visitors.
But still, the collection itself is wonderful, and that alone makes a visit certainly worthwile. I can%26#39;t help wondering if the museum wouldn%26#39;t have been better if they had had less money at their disposal.
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