Musée Cernuschi, Asian art on avenue Vélasquez since 1898

The Musée Cernuschi, the City of Paris museum of Asian art, opened in 1898 at 7 avenue Vélasquez, near Parc Monceau, in the mansion of the financier Henri Cernuschi, who bequeathed his home and his collections to the city in 1896.

Henri Cernuschi (1821-1896) had the house built by the architect William Bouwens van der Boijen. From his journey to the Far East he brought back the museum’s largest piece, the Meguro Buddha, a monumental Japanese bronze of the late 18th century that still stands at the centre of the galleries.

It is one of the city’s oldest museums. René Grousset directed it from 1933 to 1952, Vadime Elisseeff from 1952 to 1982. Fully renovated from 2001 to 2005, it has grown from some 5,000 objects to more than 15,000, and joined Paris Musées in 2013.

A short walk from Villiers métro, the museum shows mainly Chinese art, from ancient bronzes, among the most important anywhere, to modern painters who came to live in Paris, and presents Japan, Korea and Vietnam through its exhibitions.