Situated in the south-west corner of the Hall of Honour, matching the Asia Salon on the other side, the purpose of this ceremonial salon, during the Colonial Exposition of 1931, was to house the reception office of the Minister of the Colonies, Paul Reynaud. It was called Africa Salon for the frescoes and furniture used in decorating it. It is one of the spaces classified as a historical monument at the Palais de la Porte Dorée since 1987.
The fresco that decorates the Africa Salon, situated in the south-west corner of the Hall of Honour, and classified as a historic monument since 1987, was created by the Lyon-based painter Louis Bouquet (1885-1952). Its purpose was to depict the cultural and intellectual contributions made by Africa. On the right-hand panel, devoted to Black Africa, music and dance are portrayed, with Apollo holding his lyre, inspired by a majestic black muse, the two of them surrounded by dancers. The décor consists in lush vegetation, inhabited by wild beasts (a lion, a leopard hunting an antelope) and architecture representing the Great Mosque of Djenné, the biggest building made from raw earth in the world, located in Mali and dating from 1906. Interesting fact: the Mosque of Djenné was also reproduced in a miniature version to serve as a pavilion representing Mali at the Colonial Exposition. Opposite the entrance door, three panels illustrate the Arab sciences and arts, with each one represented by an allegorical character: on the right-hand panel, astronomy (man holding a celestial globe, looking to the sky), mathematics (man counting on his fingers), geometry (man with a compass), agronomics (man carrying a hoe), botany (woman picking plants), medicine and pharmacopoeia (man with a mortar and pestle), philosophy (two characters in the midst of a debate), poetry (woman holding a lyre), eloquence (a man proclaiming, his arm extended); the central panel features music and song, while the left-hand panel depicts writing and architecture. Lastly, to the left of the entrance, religion is embodied by Mohammed, the angel Gabriel (Jibril in Arabic) whispering into his ear the Revelation of the Koran, accompanied by the figure of Saint Michel bringing down the dragon, symbol of Evil. The angel Gabriel and Saint Michel are figures venerated by both Christianity and Islam, and are very much present in their respective iconographies: the painter thus wished to highlight the points of convergence between eastern and western cultures through music, the sciences and religion. Above the panels are a large number of architectural models (mosques, cities, palaces…) illustrating the wealth of urban cultures in Arab-Muslim civilisations. As concerns the treatment of the characters, dignified and impressive, their fixed, frontal and aloof positions are the most striking aspect. Their sobriety echoes a certain neutrality in their expressions and in the sculptural appearance of the bodies. The painter’s touch is defined and linear, with the paint applied in low-key flat tints (with no trace of brush strokes), and cross-hatched lines placed vertically, accentuating the impression of verticality of the walls of the large oval cylinder of this salon. Likewise, cross-hatching reinforces the geometrization of the objects and bodies depicted. The forms are elongated and the figures elegant and slender, which also accentuates the verticality of the architecture. The entire fresco is approached through a geometric framework in which the stylised arabesque is very much present. The colour range is limited to the colours of the earth, presented tone-on-tone, creating a general palette that is muted, accentuating the sculptural appearance of the silhouettes. A few touches of bright colour highlight materials or objects.
Situated in the south-east corner of the Hall of Honour of the Palais de la Porte Dorée, and matching the Africa Salon on the other side, the purpose of this ceremonial salon during the 1931 Colonial Exposition was to house the office of Maréchal Lyautey, general commissioner of the exposition. It was named Asia Salon for the frescoes and furniture decorating it. It is one of the spaces classified as historic monuments since 1987.
The fresco that decorates the Asia salon, situated in the south-east corner of the Hall of Honour, and classified as a historic monument since 1987, was created by the painters André Lemaître (1885-1965) and Ivanna Lemaître, née Jacovlena Koytcheff (1893-1973), a couple who worked together extensively. The purpose of the fresco in the Asia Salon was to express the philosophical and artistic contributions made by Asia. The characters and scenes portrayed are inspired by Buddhism, Hinduism and Confucian thinking, with illustrations of the great spiritual figures of Asia on the panel to the left of the entrance: Krishna playing a flute, Buddha meditating and Confucius teaching his disciples. To the right of the entrance, a caravan of elephants loaded with products heads towards the river linking East to West. Then, against a background of plants and mountains (snowy Himalayan peaks or wooded peaks of Mount Meru), the themes of dance (Cambodian dancers), music and sculpture are developed. Lastly, the four elements are evoked, through scenes mixing the supernatural and terrestrial worlds: water, evoked through the god Varuna and fishermen in search of their daily food; fire, represented by the god Agni, bringing life to a small child as he breathes on him; the earth, illustrated by the god Rama, hunting ferocious beasts so that men can devote themselves to their role as food-providers. Above him, on the overhanging wall, the Earth Mother of Mankind is depicted. The characters, majestic and sensual, are shown in action, often twisting, rarely in a frontal position facing the viewer, which reinforces the liveliness of the overall composition. They appear a little blended into the background, like dreamy apparitions. The drawing style is fine and light, the range of colours soft, warm and in pale yellow and orange tones, with a few bright notes, as if to admit the ambient serenity. The lines are fluid and undulating, painted in vibrant touches, producing a pearly, light effect.
Described as a true “jewel of Art Deco”, the Palais de la Porte Dorée is characteristic of Art Deco architecture, an art movement that developed between 1910 and 1940 (which took its name from the 1925 Expo des Arts Décoratifs in Paris).
Reconstructed in 2023 at its original location, this Salon was designed in 1931 by the architect of the Palais de la Porte Dorée, Albert Laprade (1883-1978) to welcome visitors to the Musée des Colonies. It was reunited with the original rosewood furniture from Madagascar, classified as a historic monument, and the lacquer panels created by the outstanding artist Jean Dunand that decorated it at the time. This exceptional set of furniture and decorative items represent an important testimony to the Art Deco style.
As a counterpart to the zoo at the 1931 Colonial Exposition, predecessor of the future Vincennes Zoo, the review commission for the permanent Musée des Colonies validated the construction of a definitive Aquarium within the Palais de la Porte Dorée on October 9 1929. The objective was to put the exploitable marine and river fauna of the colonies on public display and, immediately after those, the many products and sub-products of their exploitation, to gradually compensate for the thinning out of fish stock in metropolitan France.
In the 19 th century, there were a number of colonial museums in the French regions (Lille, Lyon, Marseille, Nantes, etc). These institutions were attached to a chamber of commerce or higher establishment, which provided teaching. They were designed for an audience of students, teachers or professionals planning a career in agronomics or the administration in colonial areas. The products and objects on exhibit, presented by country and by category, came from economic agencies in the colonies, donations or exhibitions organised in the region. After they closed in the 20 th century, the collections were sent to a natural science museum, ethnographic museum or university. In Paris, a permanent colonial exposition had been set up in the Palais de l’Industrie, built in 1855 for the Universal Exposition. When it was demolished, just before 1900, there was talk of building a colonial museum that could rival its neighbours in London or Tervuren. So the French State considered an exposition of international scope, which would provide the opportunity to build a museum. World War 1, followed by the necessary planning period, delayed the project. The International Colonial Exposition opened in May 1931, around a decade after the one in Marseille (1922), with the "Musée Permanent des Colonies".