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The New Musée Dapper


Fans of African art should make their way to the Fondation Dapper, totally transformed after two years of renovation.

The Musée Dapper’s extraordinary metamorphosis occurred in late 2000. Once nestled inside a hôtel particulier at 50 Avenue Victor Hugo in the 16th, it has taken over 35 Rue Paul Valéry. But even though the surroundings are completely different, you’ll still find the same quality and coherence the city has come to expect from this foundation.

The sculptures are magnified by spectacular lighting

The new Dapper museum sprawls over 1,800 square meters (two times its former space) organized into eight distinct sections. 
The entrance, beautifully designed in warm colors, leads the visitor over an authentic boat gangway, made of wood with openwork guardrails. It’s suspended above an open basement that houses the cafeteria and bookstore. These few short steps convey a clear message: you’re literally journeying from the world of urban Paris and Western civilization into the universe of African art, presented here in a meditative—almost religious—environment.
Wooden mask from the Congo

The heart of this new temple comprises two exhibit areas, both decorated in tones of dark wood. Every single sculpture and object is flooded with special unidirectional lighting that accentuates the impressive hieratic nature of some of the masks. Yet the most innovative part of the new space is the wood-paneled performance hall, a perfect setting for lively displays of music, dance, and theater.

Here, the 190 seats allow for the presentation of video showings and conferences for young people. Each week, meetings and discussions focus on new items in the Dapper literature collection.
An air of mystery pervades this magical museum: the origins of the funds that contributed to its creation remain unclear, the exact expanse of the collections released by the foundation remains unknown, and one wonders how such a small museum can have a functioning budget of more than a million euros.

A Tshokwé statuette from Angola, representing a sitting leader

 But these nagging questions shouldn’t spoil your enjoyment of this fabulous place, designed with loving care in human dimensions. It’s a shame that the Musée des Arts d’Afrique et d’Océanie at the Porte Dorée, home to collections that are just as exception but poorly presented, hasn’t learned from this triumphant makeover.

USEFUL INFORMATION

Musée Dapper
35, rue Paul Valéry, 
Paris 16e

 Tel. 01 45 00 01 50

 From 11am to 7pm

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