Quai Branly Museum
A short distance upstream of the Eiffel Tower, on quai Branly, work continues on the new Quai Branly Museum, which will bring together the Musée des Arts d'Afrique et d'Océanie and the ethnography department from the Musée de l'Homme, along with space for temporary exhibitions, plays and contemporary non-European dance.
Located on the banks of the Seine, near the Eiffel Tower, the museum is housed in a stunning four building complex, designed by the famous French Architect Jean Nouvel, set into 18000 sq.m of gardens and ponds behind a 200 meter long glass wall facing the river.
The African collection with more than 70,000 items is the museum largest component, largely due to France's colonial presence in Africa. More than 1000 works will be displayed at any given time, including sculpture, furniture, fabrics, ceramics, jewelry and religious and ritual objects.
The Oceania collection, also enriched during the French colonial era includes Polynasia, Melanesia, Australia and the islands of Southeast Asia, grouped together.
The Asian department covers a vast territory including China, India, Japan, Central Asia, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. Largely concentrated on the indigenous tribes of the regions, the Asian collection is particularly rich in costumes and textiles.