articles/Muse des Confluences opens in Lyons a tribute to citys great collector — theartnewspaper.com

Portrait of Émile Guimet. Photo: © Musée des Confluences, Lyon A spectacular new museum due to open on 20 December in Lyons pays tribute to the Lyonnais businessman, collector and museum founder Émile Guimet (1836-1918). The Guimet family’s fortune was made in chemistry and “le bleu Guimet” (artificial ultramarine), but as well as running the business, Guimet was an inveterate traveller. His particular interest was the religions of the Far East, and he amassed a huge collection of art from Japan and China, as well as material from Egypt, Greece and Rome. He put his art on display in a Musée des Religions he founded in Lyons in 1879—one of the few private museums to be established in France. But despite his displaying the works with public-friendly lighting, information and context, he was disappointed in the lack of interest and he soon moved the collection to Paris, founding the Musée Guimet, which now belongs to the French state.

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