Emile Guimet

Emile Guimet (Lyon, June 2nd 1836 - the Fleurieu-on-Saone, October 12th 1918), was an industrialist and collector of objects of Article It was impassioned for civilizations which it studied during many voyages. Its collections Asian gave rise to the National museum of Asian-Guimet Arts.

Biography

The father of Emile Guimet directed a prosperous factory of artificial dyes to the Fleurieu-on-Saone in the suburbs of Lyon. This polytechnician was the inventor of the artificial overseas (blue Guimet) which replaced that obtained starting from the Lapis-lazuli. His/her mother was painter and in its youths, Guimet practices ceramics, painting and the sculpture.

With part of 1860 Emile takes again the business of his father and will also chair until his death the directory of the company Pechiney, which had been created a few years before with family capital. The flourishing company is transformed into public limit company in 1895, with the development which one knows today.

Parallel to its activities of industrialist, Guimet undertakes voyages. The first date of 1865-1866: Guimet leaves for Egypt, destination with the mode. It brings back many objects of them. However, for him, those are before a a whole incentive to include/understand civilizations: I felt that these objects that I joined together remained dumb and that however they had things to say to me, but that I could not question them. I put at reading Champollion, Chabas, of Red, rare books of Egyptology which one had published at that time. Then drew up in front of me this formidable history of Egypt, with its complicated beliefs, its intense religion, its imposing philosophy, its petty superstitions, its pure morals. Comparisons were essential with other antiquated civilizations. It was necessary to turn my glances towards India, Chaldée, China.

In 1876-1877, it makes the round the world tour in company of the painter Felix Régamey. He visits the World Fair to Philadelphia. He spends a few times to Japan, which marks it particularly.

Guimet wants to create a place where to expose its objects. It must be a question, according to its own words, of a “scientific factory”. A Guimet museum thus opens in Lyon in 1879. In spite of the success of its museum, it is disappointed by the reception which reserves to him the municipality and fact gift of its collections in the State in 1884. A new museum opens then in Paris in 1888, it is a great public success.

The museum Guimet of Lyon always exists, its collections are in the course of transfer to the future “Museum of the junctions”, in spite of the dispute of the beneficiaries.

Works

Egyptian Sketches: Newspaper of a tourist , Paris, 1867.
Hello Kanagawa , illustrations of Felix Régamey Paris, 1876; Japanese transl., Tokyo, 1977.
Letters on Algeria (1877)
Report/ratio with the Minister for the State education and the Art schools on the scientific expedition of Mr. Emile Guimet in the Far East , Lyon, 1878.
Japanese Walks , illustrations of Felix Régamey, 2 flights, Paris, 1878-80), Japanese translation, Tokyo, 1982
the Jubilee of the Guimet Museum: 25th birthday of its foundation, 1879-1904, Paris, 1904.

Fiftieth anniversary: January 1st, 1860 - January 1st, 1910 (Paris, 1910)

Tai-Tsoung , opera in five acts (1894).

Random links: