Musée Guimet - Guimet research plan 2026-2030

Guimet research plan 2026 2030 13

Part 1 → The structuring axes of research at the Villa Guimet

Study of bronze art

in Southeast Asia

Initiated in 1995 with the National Museum of Cambodia and the

Centre for Research and Restoration of the Museums of France

( C2RMF ) , studies dedicated to the art of bronze in Cambodia —

within the context of pre - Angkorian ( 7th – 8th centuries ) and

Angkorian ( 9th – 15th centuries ) Khmer art — were carried out

in preparation for the exhibition " Angkor and Ten Centuries of Khmer

Art " ( Galeries Nationales du Grand Palais , 1997 ) . This study of copper

alloys , their sources of supply and their technical implementation

within the foundry , has taken a great leap forward with the

collaboration undertaken with the C2RMF and the French School

of the Far East ( EFEO ) as part of the exhibition " Royal Bronzes of

Angkor " ( Musée Guimet , 2025 ) . Far from complete , they are part of

a long - term scientif ic collaboration with the EFEO , the C2RMF and

the National Museum of Cambodia , whose medium - term goal is

the publication of an in - depth study focused on the image of

the reclining Vishnu from Western Mebon .

A second side of this study concerns the field of bronzes from

the Dong Son culture ( Late Bronze Age , Iron Age , 5th centuries BCE )

in the Red River Delta ( North Vietnam ) for which an ongoing study

with the C2RMF , the Cernuschi Museum and IRCAM allows us to

deepen our knowledge of the use of bronze drums and the technical

choices involved in their casting . Characterization of cast iron ,

analysis of the resonance of materials and the study and deciphering of decorations

are the major axes of this study , which should be part of a broader perspective

involving , in the long term , the Vietnam History Museum in Hanoi .

Conservation and restoration

programs for : paintings

of Tibetan Buddhism , Chinese

and Japanese paintings ,

Indian textiles

Some of the Musée Guimet ' s non - archaeological collections must also be included

in this axis devoted to the materiality of artworks Analyses of these works will have

to be carried out as part of vast conservation restoration campaigns aimed at

highlighting works that are currently not on view because of their poor state

The collection of Tibetan paintings at the Musée Guimet considered one of the

most beautiful collections of this kind preserved in Europe and consisting of

about 450 remarkable pieces ranging from the 12th to the 20th century will be

part of this project

An essential step will consist in providing each painting or thangka with a frame

for its material specif icities presence of a more or less voluminous textile assembly

In addition a restoration of the pictorial layer and its support as well as a

refurbishment of the existing or reconstituted textile montages will allow us to

promote these works to the public and thus to diversify the thematic and stylistic

programs to be deployed in order to do justice to the originality and beauty of the

paintings of Tibetan Buddhism

Drum , Sông Đà , Vietnam , Mid - 1st millennium BCE , bronze , P243 .

Mandala of the Five Deities of Amoghapāśa Gansu China Tang Dynasty 618 907 Mid 8th century silk Ink Light

This work will also be the opportunity for a academic study on pigments and

preparation layers to inform the palette used and provide valuable insight

on the provenance of the pieces as well as on the trade routes of said pigments

in Upper Asia .

Finally , the Chinese and Japanese paintings mounted on scrolls , and the museum ' s

Indian textiles , although presenting dif ferent conservation and restoration issues ,

make up other bodies of study and restoration belonging to this ambitious project .