Coinciding with China fever and two years of cross-cultural celebrations between France and China, the reemergence of Europe's fifth largest Chinese art collection is right on cue. Situated in Paris, the Cernuschi Museum opened its doors this summer after an extensive three-year makeover. The €7.2 million renovation breathes new light into the one hundred year old institution, while preserving the exuberant soul of its eccentric founder. After emigrating from Italy to Paris in 1848, Henri Cernuschi discovered his passion for Asian art while touring the world. Immediately seduced, he feverishly amassed the 4,000 works that represent the core of his Asian art collection in just a few months.

Housed in a stunning 19th-century hotel particulier designed to showcase his extensive collection, the museum is a rare jewel in Paris' artistic crown. Its large, renovated bay windows look onto the adjacent Parc Monceau and shed light throughout the grand exhibition rooms. Cernuschi's former reception salon now houses the permanent collection that traces the evolution of over 20 centuries of Asian art.

Amongst its many famous pieces are 'La Tigresse', a fabulous feline bronze vase from 1100B.C, and the Cernuschi equivalent to the 'Mona Lisa'; a beautiful ensemble of clay funerary mingqi statuettes; bronze masks from the Liao dynasty; and a giant 13th-century Buddha that has been in storage since 1930.

To show off its new looks, the Cernuschi museum has organized an exceptional exhibition nearly one hundred rare Chinese ceramic treasures that retrace the history and development of the medium over 2000 years.

Céladons
Chinese Ceramic Treasures (1100B.C to1500)
September 9 through December 30, 2005
Musée Cernuschi
7, avenue Velasquez
75008 Paris
T. +33 1 (0) 45 63 50 75