10 Aug
The Forbidden City in Monaco
After the Grimaldi Forum's memorable "China of the First Emperor" in 2001, the focus is on the Forbidden City
"The Forbidden City in Monaco: The Courtly Life of the Emperors and Empresses of China," jointly curated by Jean-Paul Desroches, Honorary General Curator for Heritage, and Wang Yuegong, Director of the Palace Arts Department at the Imperial Palace Museum, will feature almost 200 remarkable exhibits from the former palace of the Chinese sovereigns, as well as loans from major European and American collections: the Cernuschi Museum, the Louvre, the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, the Royal Museums of Art and History in Brussels and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery in Washington. Visitors will be invited to enter the very heart of this iconic place, which is rooted in collective memory and home to a heritage of inestimable value.
The Forbidden City is one of the most prestigious palace complexes, and the world's most popular tourist site, with some 10 million visitors every year. The new capital, Beijing, was organised around the Forbidden City, which is now both a palace and museum. Created ex nihilo at the wishes of the third Ming emperor, it was built in one phase between 1406 and 1420, and became the cradle of power for the Manchu dynasty for almost three centuries.
The personalities of the Qing emperors are central to this project, in particular the sovereigns Kangxi (1662–1722), Yongzheng (1723–1735) and Qianlong (1736–1795), who considered themselves paragons of Chinese culture. As the representative of Heaven on Earth, the emperor, known as the "Son of Heaven," was all-powerful, and the nation's military, religious and cultural leader. Visitors will discover displays linked to these various roles, including portraits, ceremonial costumes, furniture, precious objects and scientific instruments, some of which are classed as "national treasures." In line with the tradition of the Manchu people, whose powerful "Eight Banners" army took control of China in 1644, the military conquests of the Qing emperors will also be represented by various objects and engravings illustrating their victorious campaigns.
During the reign of the Qing, culture was considered the most important aspect. Illustrating the official taste of one of the high points in the history of Chinese civilisation, the country's various art forms, which at that time had a marked influence on the West, will be highlighted - the arts of the brush in calligraphy and painting, the world of the decorative arts, with cabinets of porcelain and lacquerware, and music and opera. The excellence and refinement of the art of the period have left an enduring legacy whose influence can still be seen today, as demonstrated by an impressive landscape screen by Zhang Daqian (1899–1983), one of the most iconic painters of 20th century China.
The exhibition is designed as stroll through the rooms of the Palace to the gardens of the Forbidden City. The itinerary includes iconic features of the city palace, such as the Temple of Heaven, the Throne Room, the Buddhist temple, the Temple of the Ancestors and the tea pavilion, taking visitors on a journey to the heart of a civilisation that is many thousand years old.
The scenography of the exhibition addresses the issue of heritage in a modern, instructive way, in particular through two models of monumental temples from the China Red Sandalwood Museum in Beijing, archival audiovisual material that is on display for the first time and a tour that immerses visitors in the heart of the Palace of the Forbidden City.
Opening times: Open every day from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Late evening opening on Thursdays until 10 p.m.
Full price: 10 €. Reduced rate: Groups (More than 10 people) = 8 € - Students (- under 25 years of age on presentation of student card) = 8 € - Seniors (over 65 years of age)= 8 € - FREE for children under 18
Guided tour = 8 €, every Thursday and Sunday at 2.30 p.m. and 4.30 p.m., subject to availability (maximum 25 persons).
Audioguides = 5 €
Accessibility: The exhibition is accessible to people with disabilities and with reduced mobility.
Exhibition catalogue: Format: 28.5 x 22.5 cm. 300 illustrations, of which 140 are full page. Approximately 320 pages. Texts in French and English. Retail price 35 €.