Paris 2013 - Musee du Quai Branly

Another one of the modern buildings we wanted to visit was the Musee du Quai Branly by renown French architect Jean Nouvel. It is quite close to the Tour Eiffel - in the 7th Arrondissement. The surrounding area is one of the richest neighbourhoods in Paris - long been home to the French aristocracy and upper class.

The Museum is one of the pet projects of former French President Jacques Chirac. It houses indigenous arts and artifacts from Africa, Asia, Oceania and the Americas. The design of the museum is very modern and quite unusual. The main building is lifted off the ground, leaving the ground level mostly for a garden which extends to both sides of the building. The building is visually striking due to its modern and angular shape and the metal cladding in shades of red and orange. The surrounding garden is one of the most beautiful I've seen in Paris - with unique and beautiful species of plants and flowers which were just starting to bloom in the early spring.

One of the buildings also feature a beautiful vertical garden by Patrick Blanc - a French botanist who is considered as the key person who modernized and popularize the "green wall" concept in modern design and architecture.

If we had the time we would have loved to go inside the museum to see the collection. But the interesting architecture of the building was worth the visit from the outside. The big surprise was the beautiful garden surrounding the building.