Paris, 28 July 2011
The “Dogon” exhibition at the Musée du Quai Branly has closed, having drawn no less than 195,000 visitors, making it the second most popular exhibition with an entry fee to be hosted at the indigenous art museum.
“Dogon” ran from 5 April to 24 July 2011 and during these three months, visitors thronged to discover the art and culture of the Dogons, an ethnic group from Mali in Western Africa. The 330 works on display dating from the eight century to today were exhibited together for the first time and came from many private collections all over the world.
The previous exhibition to be dedicated to the Dogons was a retrospective at the Musée Dapper in 1994. It was the first event to take an interest in this aesthetically rich culture. Former gallery owner Hélène Leloup, who specialises in African art, was the curator of the exhibition. Her knowledge and contacts were invaluable, as she assembled pieces from the four corners of the earth.
“Dogon” was thus a resounding success, drawing exactly 195,042 visitors. The most popular temporary exhibition at the Quai Branly was “Teotihuacan” in late 2009, which attracted 250,000 viewers eager to discover the Pre-Hispanic City of Teotihuacan. “Dogon” will now travel to Bonn in Germany and subsequently to Milan in 2012.