Asian Art Newspaper takes a look at the newly renovated Musée Cernuschi to explore the history of the Cernuschi museum in Paris, their Chinese collections, including important early Chinese bronzes, as well as discover one of the first modern and contemporary Chinese art collections
The Musée Cernuschi Paris reopened on 4 March after a renovation lasting almost nine months. A leading museum of Asian art, it was bequeathed to the City of Paris along with all its holdings by Henri Cernuschi (1821-1896) upon his demise. Born Enrico Cernuschi in Milan, he studied law and finance, and was an Italian patriot elected to the short-lived Roman Republic (1848-49). When it collapsed, he escaped to France where he amassed an enormous fortune as a banker and financier, before taking up French citizenship as Henri Cernuschi. From 1871 to early 1873, he embarked on a tour of the Far East in the company of the art critic Theodore Duret (1838-1927), who subsequently wrote a book about their travels, Voyage en Asie (1874).
His journey to Japan, China, Java, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) and India resulted in his amassing some 900 crates of several thousand objects; principally bronzes and earthenware, among lacquered wood, paintings, prints and photographs.
On his return to Paris, Cernuschi displayed a large selection of his collection at Palais de l’Industrie on the Champs Elysées in 1873. The following year he bought a piece of land adjoining the Parc Monceau and erected on 7 Avenue Velasquez the Palazzo Cernuschi, a ‘house museum’ open to the public – by appointment only – from 1875. However, the original 19th-century layout which was progressively amended in the 20th century did not (by today’s standards) show his possessions in the best light.
New Galleries and Reserve Collections
‘Since 2005 when the museum was last renovated, the conditions and contents of its galleries had not really evolved,’ says current director Eric Lefebvre. ‘Until last spring they were still mainly devoted to ancient China from antiquity to the Song dynasty (960-1128).’ The current renovation has been designed therefore to inaugurate a new phase in the Musée Cernuschi’s evolution. ‘It is focused on our permanent galleries, the largest and most prestigious exhibition spaces on the first floor in the historical rooms of Cernuschi’s home,’ he says. ‘Another space is the ground-floor galleries holding temporary exhibitions, which are constantly updated due to the different shows being organised every year.’
New spaces have since been opened up on the first floor allowing a much larger selection of objects to be displayed – 66 per cent of the new area had previously been kept in reserve. They fill 13 galleries, which have been created to offer a new perspective of 5,000 years of Chinese art, which is at the core of a broadened vision of the arts and cultures of East Asia.
‘We realised that by combining different aspects of our collection, it would be possible to provide visitors with a more comprehensive vision of Chinese art and history from its origins to the present,’ says Lefebvre. ‘Moreover the colours and lighting of the galleries and display cases have been changed in order to improve the display of the objects. The artworks of each period are being introduced from a thematic point of view through new didactics and multimedia.’
Important Chinese Collections of Musée Cernuschi Paris
The evolution of China’s cultural and artistic achievements is being traced in a chronological manner. Galleries open with the Paleolithic age to 2000 BC, to include the Neolithic period (7000-1600 BC) and the dissemination of the Hongshan, Liangzhu, Majiayao and Longshan cultures A succession of dynasties follow, with their singular achievements given emphasis. The Shang (1500-1050 BC), which focuses on bronze technology and ritual art leads on to the Zhou (1050-221 BC): ‘For decades the development of Shang and Zhou dynasty bronzes was a constant aim of our museum,’ says the director. ‘Indeed research on our early bronzes has led to a reconsideration of the dating of major pieces like the Western Zhou (1050-771 BC) lei.’
At Museé Cernuschi Paris bjects from the Warring States (475-221 BC), and the unification of Qin China (221-206 BC), are accompanied by Han dynasty (206 BC-220) tomb art and terracotta funerary figures. In the ceramics section, the birth of celadon is celebrated by pieces from the Six Dynasties (220-618). Also on show are Tang-dynasty (618-906) tomb art, including lokapala (tomb guardians), showing how earthenware and glazes come together as ornament for the living and the dead. The golden age of ceramics dominates the Song and Yuan (960-1368) dynasties, whilst classic ceramics from the Ming-dynasty (1368-1644) – blue and white wares from the Jingdezhen kilns – lead on to show the diversification found in these ceramics in the later the Qing dynasty (1644-1911). The last gallery is devoted to 20th-century Chinese art and ceramics created this and last century.
The chronology of the displays is punctuated by highlights from the occasional cultural exchanges between countries under China’s aegis. Special display cases offer a comparison between Bronze Age China and prehistoric Dong Son culture in Vietnam, a hierarchical society organised around dominant clans that dates to around 700 BC. The epoch of Giao Chi, established around 111 BC on the Red River basin, marks the advent of Chinese influence in Vietnam and is also represented in the galleries by its terracotta funerary furniture.
Important Early Chinese Bronzes
However, taking centre-stage throughout the galleries are the bronzes that Enrico Cernuschi acquired during his visit to China (February-June 1872). They have been lauded for their superior quality as tangible artistic achievements of Chinese civilisation. ‘He started acquiring them in Shanghai and Yangzhou, with the best pieces coming most probably from Liulichang, in Beijing,’ says Lefebvre. ‘Impressed by the high level of expertise of Chinese dealers, he went on to collect famous bronze catalogues from the past; including the Xuanhe bogu tu (Catalogue of Antiques from the Xuanhe Hall, Song dynasty); and the Xiqing gujian (a 40-volume catalogue of Chinese Ritual Bronzes in the Qianlong Collection); to the Jigu zhai zongding yi qi kuanzhi (Inscriptions on Ritual Objects in the Accumulated Antiquities Studio, Qing dynasty). Cernuschi attempted to collect Chinese bronzes from the connoisseur’s point of view, focusing on the most ancient pieces with inscriptions; such as the ding, which features the longest Western Zhou inscription in a European museum. He was also partial to ‘more recent’ bronzes from the Song, Ming, and even the Qing period, as he had a special interest for Qianlong (r 1736-1795) pieces.’
‘His ambition was to have a series of Chinese bronzes which might be considered from an historical point of view, just as Western art history was being considered,’ Lefebvre goes on to say. ‘At the time there were no books on Chinese art history written in French, and when the first one was published a few years later by Maurice Paleologue (1859-1944), the first chapter, devoted to bronzes, relied almost entirely on Cernuschi’s collection. The fascination it generated was considerable: Artists like Gustave Moreau and the ceramicist Theodore Deck were inspired by their decorative motifs. The rich repertoire of forms also influenced the creators of renowned manufacturers like Barbedienne and Christofle to use them as models.’
Buddhist Art
The dissemination of Buddhist art from India to China, Korea and Japan is given special attention and occupies its own gallery at Musée Cernuschi Paris. Forming a major component is the Japanese section with its representative group of Buddhas. Cernuschi had been interested in Buddhism as a philosophy rather than as a religion. When he reached Japan (October 1871-February 1872), he assembled a pantheon of different deities – to show the evolution of Buddhism. They comprised a hierarchy intended to indicate – as was widely believed in 19th-century Europe – that Greek aesthetic ideals were transmitted through Buddhist art and resulted in the eventual dissemination of Graeco-Buddhist art to much of Asia.
One of Cernuschi’s principal purchases from Japan was a monumental bronze Buddha, the Amida Nyorai from the Banryu-ji, a Jodo ‘Pure Land’ sect temple of Meguro. The statue, some 4.40 metres high, believed to have been cast in the 1730s, has dominated the museum’s entry hall since it opened more than 125 years ago. ‘The Amida Nyorai features in one of the major aspects of the renovation,’ says Director Lefebvre. ‘The architect Maciej Fiszer made an interesting proposal for the museum’s main exhibition space where the monumental Buddha has stood since 1875. As it has Asian temple proportions rather than those of a private 19th-century French mansion, Fiszer modified the Buddha’s stand and the colours of the walls to bring the visitor back to the atmosphere of the time, so that it becomes one of the best preserved spaces testifying to the discovery of Asian art in 19th-century France.’
In retrospect, Cernuschi’s visit to Japan also had a major impact on the japonisme movement in 19th-century France. His taste for ‘modern’ objets d’art, dating from the Edo (1615-1868) to the Meiji (1868-1912) periods, was reflected in specimens for daily use, as well as in items called ‘industrial art’. He subsequently asked a friend, Ferdinando Meazza (1837-1913), to collect Japanese ceramics to complement his collection.
Modern and Contemporary Chinese Art
It is not commonly known that the Musée Cernuschi Paris was one of the earliest European institutions to collect modern and contemporary Chinese paintings. ‘The museum started exhibiting ‘modern’ Chinese painting in 1946, immediately after World War II,’ says Lefebvre. ‘The then director of the museum, René Grousset (1885-1952), believed it was the beginning of a new era for Asia, and that it was time for Western scholars to stop considering Asian art only from the point of view of the past. The show included the great masters of the first half of the 20th century, including Qi Baishi, Zhang Daqian and Fu Baoshi, along with Chinese artists trained in France like Xu Beihong and Pan Yuliang. Even the 26 year-old Zao Wou-Ki, who was still active in China at that time, had an exhibition room for his works.’
Lefebvre, from Musée Cernuschi Paris continues, ‘In the early 1950s, Guo Youshou, a Chinese diplomat and collector, trained in 1920s France, gave us some 70 paintings. It formed the core of a collection which grew rapidly as the museum began now organising solo shows for Chinese contemporary artists almost every year. Subsequent donations by Zhang Daqian, Lin Fengmian and Wu Guanzhong helped to develop the collection.’
Today, the Musée Cernuschi Paris holds among the finest modern Chinese collections in European museums, warranting the creation of a new picture gallery, the Salle Peinture, on the ground floor. ‘Our new display contents are much wider than before, to attract people interested in Asian art or archaeology and also those interested in the decorative arts, modern and contemporary art from East Asia.’
Next year heralds the 150th anniversary of Cernuschi’s visit to Asia. ‘We are actually thinking about a travelling exhibition on this topic,’ says Director Lefebvre. ‘It would be great if after 150 years Cernuschi’s collection could travel back to Asia to celebrate his pioneering work.
BY YVONNE TAN
Musée Cernuschi, 7 Avenue Velasquez, 75008 Paris, cernuschi.paris.fr. The museum is currently closed in line with the French government’s guidelines.
