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MUSEUM news ART, SCIENCE, AND MASTER HANDS AT THE MUSÉE DU QUAI BRANLY Paris—From March 10–May 17, 2015, the Musée du Quai Branly will offer an immersive experience into the world of science and new technology. An exhibition 46 titled Anatomie des chefs-d’oeuvre (The Anatomy of Masterpieces) unveils the results of the museum’s most recent scientific analyses of objects in its collections. Scanning and 3D imagery have made important advances over the last few years and have opened up hitherto undreamt of fields of investigation for researchers and art historians. It is now possible to “peel back” layers of an object to determine what materials its strata are composed of and to represent these findings in the form of highly accurate computer-generated three-dimensional models. The artworks can be analyzed and meticulously scrutinized in this manner without any physical contact or damage to their material integrity. Even more remarkable is the fact that the identical replicas of the sculptures can be reproduced using 3D printing technology. While these new techniques do not explain the mysteries that make these objects so fascinating, they certainly provide new and often surprising insights into the deepest intentions of those who created them. Conversely, the contemplation of this mysterious sculptural beauty will be at the very heart of the Les Maîtres de la sculpture de Côte d’Ivoire (Master Sculptors of Côte d’Ivoire) exhibition, on view April 14–July 26, 2015. This show was previously shown at the Rietberg Museum in Zurich and has been extensively covered in the pages of this magazine. It takes a purely aesthetic approach to Côte d’Ivoire’s major schools of sculpture and to their most important artists. Featuring nearly 200 works ranging from old to contemporary and representing the country’s main ethnic groups (Senufo, Lobi, Guro, Baule, etc.), the exhibition focuses on the “hands” that, both traditionally and through innovation, have forged the reputation of Ivorian art. A traveling show produced by the MQB, Masques, Beauté des esprits (Masks: Beauty of the Spirits), is presently at the Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum. This exhibition was specifically designed for international venues and consists of a selection of about 100 major works that together afford viewers the opportunity to become acquainted with the varieties of forms and uses of masks from Africa, Asia, Oceania, and the Americas. The acclaim the show has met with in Bahrain and Beijing, where it was previously seen, portend well for a successful reception at the third stop of its tour. Far left: Mask attributed to Dyeponyo. We region, Côte d’Ivoire. C. 1910. Wood. H: 23 cm. © Karob Collection, Boston. Below: Male figure holding a cup, attributed to the Himmelheber Master. 19th century, collected in 1933. Wood. H: 38.4 cm. Private collection. © DR. Left: 3D print of a Preclassic Guatemalan Maya figure. (MQB 71.1954.41.128). © MQB, Paris. Photo: Christophe Moulherat in collaboration with Chloé Vaniet of Xtremviz. Below left: Scanned view of the same object. (MQB 71.1954.41.128). © MQB, Paris. Photo: Christophe Moulherat in collaboration with Chloé Vaniet of Xtremviz. Above left: Scanned image of the boli at left. © MQB, Paris. Photo: Christophe Moulherat in collaboration with Chloé Vaniet of Xtremviz. Left: Boli, Bamana, Mali. Earth, beeswax, wood, wicker, resin, blood, cowries. Musée du Quai Branly, Paris, inv. 73.1967.6.1. © MQB, Paris. Photo: Claude Germain.


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