Nestled at the foot of the Eiffel Tower on the banks of the Seine, this institution founded in 2006 at the initiative of President Jacques Chirac is one of Paris's most singular museums. The Musée du Quai Branly – Jacques Chirac brings together over 370,000 works and objects from the civilisations of Africa, Oceania, the Americas and Asia, in a building designed by architect Jean Nouvel, whose living façade and aerial structures seem to emerge from the forest.
The building itself is an architectural work: the façade is covered by a living wall by Patrick Blanc, a true vertical garden of 800 m². Inside, a winding pathway guides visitors through collections of exceptional richness — Dogon masks, Kanak statues, Solomon Islands bird-of-paradise feathers, Inca textiles, Benin bronzes. The scenography, bathed in dramatic low lighting, creates an atmosphere of quiet contemplation.
For the 2024-2025 season, the museum offers an exceptionally diverse programme. The exhibition "Le fil voyageur", devoted to the richness of textile arts across cultures, runs until March 2026. In autumn 2025, as part of the France-Brazil Season, the museum presents "Amazônia", an exhibition on the ecosystem and peoples of the Amazon.
The museum's garden, designed by Gilles Clément, is itself a destination: 18,000 m² of wild nature in the heart of Paris. In summer, the terraces of the restaurant Les Ombres — perched on the museum's rooftop with a breathtaking Eiffel Tower view — and of the Café Branly in the garden are two of the neighbourhood's most sought-after tables. Accessible on foot from Maison Boissière in under fifteen minutes.
