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Resources > Museum of Asiatic Arts – Musee des Arts Asiatiques

posted on

19 Apr 2020

Museum of Asiatic Arts – Musee des Arts Asiatiques

The Museum of Asiatic Arts  Musee des Arts Asiatiques in Nice is a collection of Asian works of art. The museum is managed by the Department of Alpes-Maritimes.

The design of the museum, conceived by Kenzo Tange, is based on the combination of a square, symbol of the Earth, and a circle, symbol of the Sky. The building also evokes a Tibetan mandala, a geometric and symbolic representation of the universe used to support meditation.

This setting, combining light openings and clean lines, houses a collection of Asian works of art. The 4 cubes evoke the two mother civilisations, China and India, and their transmission to Japan and Southeast Asia. On the first floor, the rotunda crowned with a glass pyramid is reserved for the spiritual sphere of Buddhism, a true common denominator of the Asian continent. The basement is devoted to temporary exhibitions on various themes.

The Departmental Museum of Asian Arts in Nice hosts exhibitions of professional photographers as part of the "Photographers in Asia" programme. These exhibitions provide a complementary perspective on Asian cultures in line with the museum's permanent collection and temporary exhibitions. Open calls have been announced for photographers to submit works for these exhibitions.