Interesting Paris Facts
Musée du Quai Branly

The interesting Paris facts headline of Summer 2006 was unquestionably the inauguration of the Musée du Quai Branly. Not one without a bit of controversy, the brand new museum was named after the Seine River embankment where it is located, after much deliberation over an appropriate politically correct name for it.

In more culturally insensitive times, it would have been named the Museum of Primitive Arts as its collections specialize in the arts and civilization from Africa, Oceania, Asia and the Americas. But that name was deemed ethnocentric.

The grandiose museum, part exhibition hall-part university, is the pet project of French President Jacques Chirac and one that he has been pushing since his first term in office. Many suggest that the awe-inspiring achievement will be his most lasting legacy, the way the Louvre glass pyramid may be to his predecessor, President François Mitterrand.

The architecturally innovative Musée du Quai Branly built near the prestigious Eiffel Tower site has certainly been a sensation since being personally inaugurated by President Chirac on June 20, 2006. It broke attendance records all Summer, as waiting lines outside sometimes resembled a superstar rock concert. You might consider checking out this latest blockbuster attraction during your next Paris visit.
Web site, Musée du Quai Branly: www.quaibranly.fr

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