Musee Dapper museum in Paris
The Musee Dapper is not just any old museum in Paris, but provides a great insight into the arts and cultural heritage of Africa through its exhibitions along with shows, themed events, music and much more that you can discover.
About the Musee Dapper in Paris
When you look back at the history of the Musee Dapper, it started by being named after Olfert Dapper who first wrote about Africa back in the 1600s, and yet this museum was only founded in 1986.
Today it is still a private museum run through the Olfert Dapper Foundation that offers a different and unique collection of art each year with its exhibitions running from mid October through to mid July.
And these large art and cultural exhibitions all relate to Africa, the Caribbean and their arts, along with mixed race communities in Europe, Latin America and the Indian Ocean, which has become the best place in Paris to discover African sculpture and the arts of Africa.
For 2013 the exhibition is called Design in Africa Sitting, Laying Down and Dreaming and focuses on objects that are used to support the human body, yet looks at the ornate through to the functional and far beyond such as the methods and how long a piece may take to produce, etc.
But its aim, and what this museum has succeeded in doing, is provide a greater understanding of this area of the world through many different cultural aspects, which also include things such as music and dance and not just old art and historical pieces, yet modern art and objects as well.
So with these points in mind, there is also an auditorium that plays host to a wide variety of different forms of entertainment in Paris from childrens storytelling sessions or puppet shows through to dance and music events or seminars from historians or ethnologists through to film screenings.
The whole space can also be privatised for corporate events on the days that this museum in Paris is not open or of an evening for events such as team building or cocktail parties. However, the Musee Dapper also provides the options of different workshops and even themed events such as African food or wine tasting through to experiencing a traditional strategy game, and much more for groups.
There is also the Cafe Dapper, which is a cafe style restaurant in Paris located next to the bookshop of the museum and furnished with large round tables, there are a variety of dishes made with fresh produce along with homemade cakes and a variety of drinks, which is ideal for a break.
Access to Musee Dapper
This museum in Paris is open from 11am through to 7pm on a Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, yet is closed on Tuesdays, Thursdays and on national French holidays.
As of 2013 the admission to the museum exhibitions is a cost of €6, yet there is a reduced rate of €4 for students and senior citizens with proof, but it is free to those aged under 18. However, there is also completely free admission for art history students, again with proof, and on the last Wednesday of the month anyone can gain free entry.
When it comes to the auditorium, tickets for the dramas and music events range in cost from around €8 up to €15, films are €6 and then childrens shows such as storytelling are a cost of €8 for an adult and €5 for children and students as of 2013. However, there are also literary gatherings and discussion sessions that are completely free, yet booking is advisable.
Guided tours for individuals are also available and these are a cost of €5 per person in addition to the cost of entry, and to find out when these are being conducted plus book your place, you would need to contact the museum via telephone. There are also guided tours available for groups, which are available in different languages including French, English, Italian and Spanish and have a set rate for a group of up to 25 people.
Now getting to the Musee Dapper is very straight forward as it is located in the 16th Arrondissement, yet it is within easy walking reach of the Place Charles de Gaulle, which is home to the Arc de Triomphe and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
So within an approximate 5 minute walk you could reach the Paris Metro station called Victor Hugo via line 2, the RER train station of the Charles de Gaule Etoile is an approximate 8 minute walk and you would need line A for this, or the Charles de Gaulle Metro stop on line 6 will take a similar time frame.
The Metro station of Argentine on line 1 is about a 12 minute walk away, however the Paris bus numbered 52 stops only about 1 minute away from the Musee Dapper, yet the bus numbered 82 stops at the Victor Hugo station, so as you can tell, it is very conveniently located in the city.
