Paper short abstract:

The paper deals with the 'patronage' of South Asian performing arts by the Musée du quai Branly as a case of intangible cultural heritage's implementation. It focuses on the role played today by this institution as promotor of forms of oral and living cultural world heritage.

Paper long abstract:

In 2006, three years after the publication of the Unesco document on the Intangible World Cultural Heritage, the Musée du qui Branly was inaugurated in Paris. Soon, the newly built institution, under the aegis of the French Ministry of Culture and Ministry of Research and Education, represents today in the French capital one of the major places for the patronage and promotion of the living performing arts, among which those of South Asia. In this paper I will focus on the various forms of patronage of performing arts done by this Museum, and its relation with the above mentioned Unesco notion of Intangible Cultural Heritage. Being 'heir' of the main collections and libraries of two other major parisian Museums (i.e. the Musée de l'Homme and the Musée des Arts d'Afrique et d'Océanie), Musée du quai Branly became, since its foundation, a very active international institution for the promotion of those performing arts, their study and spreading among scholars, students and the large audience too. In the same time I will compare its patronage of South Asian performing arts with the one practiced by other older Museums in Paris, like the Musée Guimet specialized in the Asian Arts, by underlying the specificity, differences and similarities as well. The presentation will through light on the criteria of selecting and promoting those South Asian performing arts listed in the ICH, by analysing the data collected during interviews and the documents found in those Museums' libraries and archives.