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Quai Branly Museum: looking back 10 years

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The Quai Branly Museum will soon be celebrating its 10th anniversary. 

For the occasion and to pay homage to its founder, the museum is changing its official name to “Musée du Quai Branly – Jacques Chirac” (Quai Branly– Jacques Chirac Museum). It will also be looking back at its ten-year history of “cultural dialog”.

Perched on the banks of the River Seine, the building, designed by Jean Nouvel, with its glass façade and famous “living wall", was commissioned and opened by the former President of France, Jacque Chirac, in June 2006. The name change will take place on 20 June, during the opening ceremony of the exhibition entitled, “Jacques Chirac or the cultural dialog”, which will be focusing on the cultural heritage of the former President, including his passion for Asia and Japan, in particular, and on his interest in Pre-Columbian Art.

Its long tradition in showcasing the cultures of Africa, Oceania, Asia and the Americas has led it to acquire around 300,000 works of art and  it has welcomed an average of 1.4 million visitors through its doors annually, since its opening. This is a significant success for a museum focusing on non-Western cultures and it is now considered part of the Parisian landscape. A “universal museum and cultural city dedicated to the arts and civilizations of Africa, Asia, Oceania and the Americas”, as its President, Stéphane Martin, likes to refer to it. The Quai Branly Museum has managed to enrich its cultural and scientific heritage.

Highly recommended at the Quai Branly Museum at the moment (soon to be known as the “Quai Branly-Jacques Chirac Museum”) is the Matahoata Exhibition, which focuses on Arts and Society in the Marquesas Islands from the late 18th century to today.

Quai Branly, Key figures:

- An average of 1.4 million visitors annually

- Surface area

  • 27,700 m² of land
  • 17,500 m² of gardens
  • 800 m² “Living Wall” consisting of 15,000 plants and 150 species

- Collection

  • 300 000 works of art from Africa, Asia, Oceania and the Americas, including:
  • 3,500 works on display in the Collections Area
  • 105 masterpieces in the Sessions Pavillion


Practical information:

Exhibition Matahoata - Arts and Society in the Marquesas Islands
From 12 April to 24 July 2026
Musée du Quai Branly
37 Quai Branly, Paris 7
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday from 11 am to 7 pm. Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 11 am to 9 pm.
From 7 to 11 euros.
For an online reservation: click here. 

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