The Architecture of Power: Colonial Museums and Exhibitions

The museum's history is marked by significant shifts in both location and identity. After the original building was demolished in 1935, the museum was renamed the "Museum of Man". Eventually, in 2006, its collections were absorbed into the modern Musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac, which represents a contemporary attempt to house these global collections in a new architectural context.

Captured Heritage: Dahomean Bocio

The way objects were acquired is central to the history of colonial exhibitions. A poignant example is found in the history of the Kingdom of Dahomey (modern-day Benin). During the French military campaigns in Dahomey in 1892, significant cultural items were seized.

Among these were Dahomean bocio—statues or power objects used in local spiritual and political life. While some bocio were destroyed by soldiers during the conflict, others, such as those depicting the Dahomean kings Guezo, Glele, and Béhanzin, were captured and exhibited in Paris at the Trocadéro. In this context, the exhibition of these objects was not merely an aesthetic display; it was a display of military conquest and the subjugation of a sovereign kingdom.

The Congo and the Royal Museum for Central Africa

Perhaps no institution embodies the intersection of colonial administration and museum practice more clearly than the museum in Tervuren, Belgium. This institution's history is inextricably linked to King Leopold II and the brutal history of the Congo Free State.

The museum underwent several name changes that mirrored the political status of the region:

• Museum of the Congo (1898): Established following the 1897 International Exposition at Tervuren.
• Museum of the Belgian Congo (1910): Following building expansions.
• Royal Museum of the Belgian Congo (1952):.
• Royal Museum for Central Africa (1960): Renamed around the time of Congolese independence.

The mission of the museum during the colonial era was often to present a sanitized version of colonial rule. Propaganda, such as the works of Arsène Matton, depicted Belgium as "bringing civilization" or "bringing security" to the Congo. This stood in stark contrast to the reality of the Congo Free State, which was characterized by extreme exploitation.

Architecture and Exhibition Organization

To understand how these museums functioned, students must analyze three recurring pillars: Mission, Exhibition, and Architecture.

1. Architecture as Message

Colonial museum architecture was rarely neutral. The physical structure of a museum conveys a message to the visitor before they even see an object. Grand entrances and imposing facades were used to project the power and stability of the colonizing nation.

2. Exhibition Organization

The way artworks and artifacts are organized within a space facilitates the museum's mission. In colonial museums, objects were often organized to show a "progression" of human development, placing Western art at the pinnacle and non-Western artifacts in categories that suggested they were "primitive" or "historical" rather than contemporary or living cultures.

Exam Concept: If a question asks how architecture reflects a mission, look for the "message" of the building. A massive, stone-clad building (like the Philadelphia Museum of Art) suggests a "Temple of Art," whereas a more functional building might suggest an "Arts and Industry" model.

In summary, the history of colonial museums is a history of how objects are used to construct narratives of power. From the captured bocio of Dahomey to the propaganda-driven halls of the Royal Museum for Central Africa, these institutions have played a vital role in shaping how the world perceives the relationship between the West and the former colonies.