The position and function of museums facing the future

Dear host,
Dear friends and colleagues,

It is a great honour for me to be among you today to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the National Museum of China. I would first like to thank Mr LU Zhangshen, the Director of the National Museum of China, for his cordial invitation. I am very grateful to have the opportunity to attend these ceremonies and I am extremely honoured to be able to speak to you on the subject of "The position and function of museums facing the future".

The term of "museum" is used to designate institutions that are very different one from another. Some museums keep historical collections, like the Musée du Louvre or the National Museum of China. Other museums are dedicated to events or great historical figures such as the Museum of the Holocaust in New York or the Frida Kahlo museum in Mexico. The term "museum" is also used to designate establishments preserving collections of decorative arts, modern and/or contemporary art (such as the Guggenheim museums), natural history (such as the American Museum of Natural History) or ethnology. Of course each of these institutions holds collections of different types and field of different social section.

Numerous museums such as the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa and the National Museum of Mali, are dedicated to the art and culture of their own country. Others exhibit only items from other countries, such as the musée du quai Branly. Located in the heart of Paris, beside the Eiffel Tower, the musée du quai Branly exhibits objects from Asia, Africa, Oceania and the Americas, but none from France or Europe. The essential mission of the musée du quai Branly is to make known non-European art and culture, and to expose it visitors beyond the borders of Europe.

Ethnography museums, created to allow visitors to discover the other cultures of the world, flourished in the West between the late 19th and mid 20th century. During that period, other cultures were still little known, however colonial and universal exhibitions that took place at the same time were also enormously popular. For example, the great universal exhibition held in Paris in 1900 received 50 million visitors. These institutions dedicated to the examination of the "other", like the Musée d'ethnographie du Trocadéro, founded in 1878, were based on three major principles:

The first one, which was rapidly abandoned, highlighted the colonial power of a country by promoting and displaying its colonial heritage.

The second principle was to enhance human diversity. The ways and customs of various countries were presented, thereby demonstrating to the public the diversity of artistic production by means of objects, or the diversity of social behaviour. Finally, the third principle was based on a kind of nostalgia. Those museums dedicated to the discovery of the other – the stranger – at the feeling there were presented the last traces of human diversity.

The traditional approach of these museums was consolidated by a virtually monopoly on discussion. Museums were in practice the only places in which it was possible to discover other cultures. When I was 13, the only place where I could see the tattooed faces of Māori, discover African masks or better understand Pre-Colombian civilisations was the Musée de l'Homme. At that time, museums had and actual monopoly on making the world available. Television was already in many homes, but the general public was still little exposed to the world diversity. However, a shift has taken place over the last fifteen years.

These days, visitors in Europe and throughout the world no longer visit a museum without having images of other cultures in their heads, without having seen images or documentaries on the Indians of the Amazon, on the Australian Aborigines or the history of the great civilisations. Over these last few years, sources of information have diversified and have consequently become more accessible; they impregnate the daily lives of visitors.

Documentary or fictional cinema and the Internet provide the public with the possibility of discovering these cultures in another light. Many films or documentaries on these themes have been major public hits. Let's think of, "Apocalypto" by Mel Gibson, about Mayan ritual and sacrifices or the film by Zhang Yimou on the Forbidden City. In addition, pop culture blends the ingredients of non-European cultures. Rugby, Polynesian tattoos and African patterns are present in fashion as well as contemporary design and have become completely integrated into our daily lives.

Today, museums that present world cultures must rethink their working methods in order to better correspond to the aspirations and requirements of the public. These museums must meet two main challenges: The first relates to the passage between tradition and modernity: what kind of continuity between traditional and modern? What kind of contemporary art should be in those museums and how should it be exhibited? That is in fact a whole topic in itself.

The second challenge consists of preserving high scientific standards. Museums must not sacrifice scientific discussion to pop-cultural demands, but must continue to maintain quality in their examinations of objects, knowledge and representations.

In order to better respond to the growing requirements of the public, it is important that museums diversify the forms of presentation and the activities offered to visitors. For example, the musée du quai Branly tries to act like a cultural centre, offering several exhibitions a year, daily workshops for children and other visitors, courses, weekly conferences, performances, eventful weeks and themed weekends, in order for the cultures presented in the museum to be kept alive throughout the year.

In conclusion, I would like to emphasise that it is more than ever crucial in this context that museums should not exist in a vacuum. On the contrary, it is essential to encourage exchanges with other museums, and in particular with foreign museums. Therefore the cooperation in progress between the National Museum of China and the musée du quai Branly is essential for us: initiated three years ago, this cooperation led to the inauguration two weeks ago of an exhibition on Chinese culinary traditions. In return, the musée du quai Branly will present at the National Museum of China in spring 2013 an exhibition presenting masks from across the world. Since it opened, the musée du quai Branly has presented more than 50 temporary exhibitions and has invited contributions from over 60 curators and scientific advisers of all nationalities. This has enabled us to present temporary exhibitions that have been very varied in terms of their form and subject. For example, in 2010 the musée du quai Branly hosted the exhibition "Baba Bling, Interior signs of wealth in Singapore", designed by the Singapore Asian Civilisation Museum, and in 2011 offered in return the exhibition "River Congo, Arts from Central Africa". Exhibitions presented by the museum, such as "Māori, their treasures have a soul", "Maya, from dawn to dusk" or "Teotihuacan, city of the Gods", could not have been achieved without the participation of exchanges with the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, the National Museum of Guatemala and the Mexican National Museum of Anthropology. These international exchanges are therefore essential for museums, as they enable the establishment of a constant dialogue and the implementation of new projects.

Thank you very much for your attention.
A very happy anniversary to the National Museum of China and I wish you many more fruitful years.
Have a wonderful day.