Paris Opens Quai Branly Museum With Nearly 2,000 Works From Türkiye

France inaugurated the Musée du Quai Branly in Paris on Tuesday, with President Jacques Chirac, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, and Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin among those attending the ceremony. The museum is dedicated to the arts and civilizations of Africa, Asia, Oceania, and the Americas.

Türkiye will be represented in the museum with close to 2,000 works. The institution's total holdings exceed 300,000 pieces drawn from across the globe, with roughly 3,500 objects on permanent display in the central galleries, complemented by 10 temporary exhibitions annually in a dedicated 2,000-square-meter space.

Situated on the left bank of the Seine in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower, the museum has been a priority project for Chirac since 1995. Prominent French architect Jean Nouvel designed the complex, which spans 40,000 square meters and is surrounded by extensive gardens, earning it the informal description of a museum set within a forest.

Beyond its conservation and exhibition role, the museum is intended to support scholarly research and education, and will host a performing arts program encompassing theater, dance, and music tied to its collections.

Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in June 2006, in its own words.