For more than 30 years, the BNP Paribas Foundation has been a well-known and loyal museum benefactor. It regularly contributes to the preservation and promotion of their cultural wealth.
12 Kanak Masks Restored at the Musée Du Quai Branly in Paris
The collection of New Caledonian Kanak artefacts held by the Musée du Quai Branly is both important and very rare. One of the museum’s most exceptional Kanak collections is a large number of full-face masks: it boasts examples of all styles of mask from all of the regions that produce them.
These masks are among the most important examples of the Kanak culture, which has been extensively studied by French ethnologists. The BNP Paribas Foundation has supported the restoration of 12 of these masks.
This major contribution will help to preserve a heritage of which we are the custodians. The restored masks will be showcased at an exhibition of Kanak art at the Quai Branly Museum in 2013.
The Art Collections of the Museums of the City Of Rome: Restored and on Display
In Italy, the Museums of the City of Rome (Musei in Comune) house magnificent collections of works of art. The restoration of these collections and the ability to display them to the public is a major challenge.
BNL, the Italian subsidiary of BNP Paribas, devotes particular attention to culture and the arts. In its role as a major bank advisor to the Treasury of the City of Rome, it is a leading patron of the arts. In particular, it supports flagship exhibitions in partnership with the major museums of the City of Rome.
In 2011, several works by the 15th century Venetian artist Lorenzo Lotto were exhibited at the Scuderie del Quirinale. BNL offered its support to this unique event. In addition to sponsoring the exhibition, BNL has committed to assist in the restoration of 13 works by Lotto, including the “Trasfigurazione di Cristo”, the “Cristo deposto nel sepolcro” and the “Presentazione di Cristo al tempio”.
“A Bigger Picture” for the English Painter David Hockney
From 21 January to 2 April 2012, the Royal Academy of Arts will showcase, in partnership with BNP Paribas and for the first time ever in the UK, a retrospective devoted entirely to landscape works by David Hockney.
Created especially for the exhibition, vivid, large-scale paintings inspired by the Yorkshire countryside will be displayed next to drawings by the celebrated English painter. Alongside a selection of works spanning more than fifty years, these new pieces will shed new light on Hockney’s fascination with landscapes.
Designed by the curators Marco Livingstone and Édith Devaney, the exhibition “David Hockney: A Bigger Picture” was organised by the Royal Academy of Arts in London, in collaboration with the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao and the Ludwig Museum in Cologne.
BNP Paribas UK is in fact a long-standing partner of the Royal Academy of Arts and over the years has offered its support for the creation of a number of other exhibitions.
