With Enquêtes vagabondes, Émile Guimet's illustrated journey to Asia, the Musée Guimet offers, until March 12, 2018, to discover or rediscover the epic of its founder, Émile Guimet (1838-1918) and his sidekick, the painter Félix Régamey (1844-1907) in Asia, but also in the USA, through a selection of paintings and objects brought back by them.
Once upon a time
It all began with the discovery of a dye: Guimet blue, which ensured the fortune of the eponymous family. It is thanks to this invention of his father that Émile Guimet was able to devote himself to his many passions, while running the family business. Known for his love of Asia, Émile Guimet is equally passionate about religions. The trigger occurred in Egypt where he was fascinated by the pantheon of ancient deities and the then unsuspected richness of Egyptian mythology. Later, he discovers the Americas that he crosses with his friend. There he discovered a young modern nation, but also a large number of Indian tribes. Determined to discover Asia, he obtains a study mission from the government. In 1876, Guimet and Régamey embarked on a 10-month journey that would change their lives, but also our vision of this geographical area.
Arrived in Japan, the two men are captivated. The country is still unknown and mysterious, for good reason, it only opened to foreigners a few years ago. They met many dignitaries, mainly religious, and were struck by the religions present and their involvement in daily life. They bring back sketches, and many works. They then arrive in China, but the country is going through a troubled period and they leave quickly. They then pass through India and Southeast Asia where they see great disparities in Buddhist practices.
On their return, Regamey began a great cycle of paintings, part of which was restored and exhibited for the occasion. This set of canvases is now scattered, and some of it is not located, the others are often very damaged. Three of these paintings were already presented at the Museum of Ethnology in Geneva, in the exhibition Le Bouddhisme de Madame Butterfly in 2015.
A very personal exhibition
This exhibition is not trivial and has a special character for the MNAAG. It is not only about its founder, but especially about its own foundation. Indeed, with this study on Asian religions, Guimet laid the foundations of his future museum dedicated to world religions and for which he acquired a very rich collection that today forms the heart of the institution. It is also about friendship and respect between the two travelers who have become friends.
If Régamey was a well-known painter at the end of the nineteenth century, today he is only in the rediscovery phase, and it is with great pleasure that we can admire his works filled with verism representing not only Asian religions, but also the daily life of the inhabitants. Guimet's industrial education was reflected in some of his purchases, especially ceramics.
The thematic scenography takes up the main lines of the journey of the two men and ends in apotheosis with the reconstruction of a Japanese Mandala as it was presented at the following Parisian Universal Exhibition, then in the museum before its redesign at the beginning of the twentieth century, when Museum of Religions it became National Museum of Asian Arts Guimet (MNAAG).
After the exhibition 113 ors d'Asie, which rediscovered and put into perspective the museum's goldsmith collections, this new exhibition delves even further into the history and collections of this key element of French heritage that is the Guimet Museum.
