Émile Guimet

Émile Guimet (1910)

Émile Étienne Guimet (born June 26, 1836 in Lyon , † October 12, 1918 in Fleurieu-sur-Saône ) was a Lyon industrialist and explorer who made numerous trips to the Far East and brought back numerous art treasures. His collecting area extended from Afghanistan to Japan with a focus on China , India and Japan. He is considered to be one of the most important researchers in the field of Asian and Japanese studies of his time.

Life

Guimet came from a wealthy and influential French industrial family. His father Jean-Baptiste Guimet (1795–1871) was a chemist and inventor. He was president of the Henry Merle et Compagnie in Fleurieu-sur-Saône near Lyon, a factory that produced synthetic ultramarine using the process he had developed and which later became part of the industrial group Pechiney . Émile also completed a degree in chemistry, only to one day take over his father's business, but was more drawn to studying the arts and traveling. He officially took over the management in 1860, on the 65th birthday of his father, but was significantly relieved and supported by managers until his death in 1871, so that he could also undertake longer expeditions.

Guimet was also musically gifted. He wrote some pieces of music and an opera, Tai-Tsoung, which is based on the life of Tang Taizong .

Guimet had a son, Jean Guimet (1880–1920).

to travel

During a trip to Egypt in 1865, which he published in his 1867 book Croquis égyptiens: journal d'un touriste. described, he discovered archeology , the history of civilization and religion and began collecting art objects. He initially concentrated on religious studies. At the same time he took part in scientific meetings and joined the Society for Japanese Studies of Léon de Rosny . After Philipp Franz von Siebold had paved the way for Europeans through his research and stays in Japan, he decided to embark on a self-financed expedition to research the religions of the Far East, which culminated in a visit to important religious sites in Japan.

He managed to get a diplomatic passport from the French government and an official research assignment from the Minister of Education and traveled with a large entourage. His compatriot, the artist Félix Régamey (1844–1907), accompanied him to illustrate the experiences of the expedition; he was also accompanied by a large group of porters, auxiliaries, translators and a government escort . Guimet even decided to bring a personal chef after reading about Cernuschi's experiences with Japanese cuisine. The route largely followed in the footsteps of Henri Cernuschi and Théodore Duret . Guimet visited all the major religious sites in Japan and collected numerous testimonies about Japanese Buddhism.

In 1878 he presented part of his collection at the Paris World's Fair and published Promenades Japonaises . In 1900, Guimet was elected Vice President of the Franco-Japanese Society of Paris.

museum

In 1879 he founded a museum in Lyon, which was limited to the collection of Japanese and Chinese religious art, which did not have the hoped-for success but was continued until 2007. In 1885 Guimet bequeathed the most spectacular parts of his collections to the French state, opening the Musée National des Arts Asiatiques in Paris in 1889 , which is now officially called the Musée Guimet des Arts Asiatique and which today comprises more than 50,000 objects from 17 countries in Asia. In the Galeries du Panthéon Bouddhique du Japon et de la Chine , three houses further down, you can see the Buddhist drawings and sculptures that Guimet brought back in 1876.

Mata Hari

In 1905 Guimet met Mata Hari at one of her performances and invited her to dance in front of a select audience in his museum. This performance took place on March 13, 1905 in the Museum Guimet and is considered to be the beginning of her dance career. Guimet had provided her with matching dance clothes, a sarong and an embroidered bustier, veil and jewelry and also advised her to adopt a stage name. Whether Guimet Mata Hari believed the legend of an Indian Bajadere or discovered their deception and knew the true background is still in the dark.

Works

• 1867: Croquis égyptiens: journal d'un touriste.
• 1868: Huit jours aux Indes.
• 1873: Arabes et Kabyles, pasteurs et agriculteurs. (Arabs and Kabyle )
• 1876: Bonjour Kanagawa. With illustrations by Félix Régamey.
• 1877: Rapport du Ministre de l'instruction publique et des beaux-arts sur la mission scientifique de M. Guimet dans l'Extrème Orient.
• 1877: Lettres sur l'Algerie.
• 1880: Promenades japonaises: Tokyo - Nikko.
• 1894: Tai-Tsoung. (Opera)

literature

• Aruna D'Souza, Tom McDonough: The Invisible Flaneuse? Gender, Public Space and Visual Culture in the nineteenth-century Paris. Manchester University Press, 2005, ISBN 0719067847 .
• Emile Guimet: Huit jours aux Indes. In: Le Tour du Monde. , Phébus, 2007, ISBN 9782752902511 .
• Keiko Omoto and Francis Macouin: Emile Guimet et les arts d'Asie. Collections Découvertes Gallimard, 2001, ISBN 2-07-076084-7 .

Web links

• Guimet Museum