Guimet research plan 2026 2030
Part 2 → The Villa Guimet research tools resources and partnerships
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Collections
The library ' s collections , at the heart of the scientif ic project of the museum ' s
founder , Émile Guimet , who saw it as " the brain of the museum " , reflect
the evolution of the museum ' s raison d ' être , initially devoted to the comparative
history of religions and becoming , since the 1920s , an institution devoted to the
arts and civilizations of ancient Asia . This orientation has structured a dynamic
documentary policy , enriched over time by purchases , donations and exchanges .
Gradually specialising in Asian art , the museum and library collections have
followed the interests of the curatorial directors , in line with the diversif ication and
professionalisation of research on Asian art and archaeology .
Today , these resources – more than 100 , 000 books and 2 , 500 titles of living or
closed periodicals – bear witness to these developments and cover a vast
disciplinary f ield centred on Asian art and archaeology , from High Antiquity in India
and China to the edge of the contemporary world
The archives on the other hand shed light on the provenance of the works their
journey and the people who acquired sold collected or passed on to the museum
in one way or another The photographic collections offer a complement to
the history whether it is a question of views of exhibitions the dif ferent states of
a work before or after restoration or pedestal etc or the archaeological context
The documentation is also a source of valuable information on the life of the works
from restorations to loans for exhibition
Juliette Séjourné , researcher and artist in residence for research and creation at the Villa Guimet , in the documentation center
( 2025 ) . © musée Guimet , Paris .
A document
classification plan
In the Villa Guimet project , it is planned to develop a plan for classifying the
documentary collections into thematic f iles that will be accessible on the collections
portal and in the resource centre . An essential management tool , this plan
guarantees a consistent classif ication , an easier search , and compliance with legal
obligations .
The funds will be divided into dif ferent categories :
• Work f iles , archival sources including scientif ic analysis ( iconographic ,
stylistic , etc . ) , the history of the piece , its provenance , elements of
comparison , the presentation of the work at exhibitions , photographic
documentation , correspondence , scientif ic analyses , condition reports or
information related to the movements of the works . More than 65 , 000 f iles
( i . e . 300 linear metres ) , currently scattered between the documentation
centre , the offices and the conservation corridors , will be collected ,
rationalised and made accessible to researchers .
• Files of personalities ( collectors , donors , archaeologists , artists ,
photographers , architects , dealers , art historians ) ,
• Files of archaeological sites ,
• Files on the history of the collections .
This documentary grouping , designed on the scale of the museum , aims at a global
rationalization of information , in the service of research , conservation and
enhancement of the collections .
The research library of the musée Guimet © musée Guimet Paris Cabinet holding the catalog cards of the research library of the musée Guimet
© musée Guimet Paris