Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
TOP SIGHT
MUSÉE GUIMET DES ARTS ASIATIQUES
France's foremost Asian arts museum, the Musée Guimet has a superb collection of
sculptures, paintings and religious articles that originated in the vast stretch of land
between Afghanistan and Japan. In fact, it's possible to observe the gradual transmis-
sion of both Buddhism and artistic styles along the Silk Road in some of the mu-
seum's pieces, from the 1st-century Gandhara Buddhas from Afghanistan and
Pakistan to the later Central Asian, Chinese and Japanese Buddhist sculptures and
art.
Other strong points of the museum include the Southeast Asian statuary on the
ground floor (which has the world's largest collection of Khmer artefacts outside
Cambodia), the Nepalese and Tibetan bronzes and mandalas, and the vast China col-
lection, which encompasses everything from ink paintings and calligraphy to funerary
statuary and early bronzes.
Part of the collection, comprised of Buddhist paintings and sculptures, is housed in
10am-5.45pm
Wed-Mon, garden to 5pm)
. Don't miss the wonderful Japanese garden here.
