Émile Étienne Guimet

Émile Étienne Guimet (born June 2, 1836, in Lyon – died October 12, 1918, in Fleurieu-sur-Saône) was a French industrialist and art collector. He became fascinated by the civilizations he encountered during his extensive travels. His Asian art collections laid the foundation for the Guimet Museum.

Biography

Jean Baptiste Guimet, Émile's father, was the inventor of artificial ultramarine blue (known as "Guimet blue"). His mother was a painter and introduced Émile to artistic practices, including ceramics, painting, and sculpture. Later, Émile directed a choir, composed music, and founded a choral society in Neuville-sur-Saône. He was also involved in establishing public lighting, a kindergarten, and a library in the area.

In 1860, Émile took over his father's business. He expanded the factory created in Fleurieu-sur-Saône, near Lyon, by enlarging buildings, constructing new furnaces, establishing a railway stop on the Lyon-Trévoux line, and building an adjacent pier on the Saône River. By 1878, the year of the Exposition, the factory employed 150 workers and produced 1,000 tons for export.

Émile also inherited the presidency of Merle Henry et Company until his death. This company, founded with family capital, would later become Pechiney. The prosperous business became a public limited company in 1895, continuing its successful development.

Alongside his industrial ventures, Émile founded Emile Guimet Travel Company. His first major journey in 1865-1866 took him to Egypt, a popular destination at the time. There, he acquired numerous objects, which sparked his desire to understand ancient civilizations:

• "I felt that these objects I was collecting remained silent, yet they had things to tell me, but I did not know how to question them. I started reading Champollion, Chabas, de Rougé, the few Egyptology books available at the time. Then, the formidable history of Egypt stood before me—with its complicated beliefs, intense religion, grandiose philosophy, minor superstitions, and pure morality. Comparisons with other ancient civilizations were necessary. I had to turn my eyes toward India, Chaldea, and China."*

In 1876-1877, he traveled the world with painter Félix Régamey. He visited the Philadelphia World's Fair and spent significant time in Japan, which made a lasting impression on him.

Émile wanted to create a space to display his art objects, describing it as a "scientific factory" or "laboratory of ideas." The Natural History Museum - Guimet opened in Lyon in 1879. Despite its success, he became disappointed with the municipality's treatment and donated his collections to the State in 1884. In 1888, a new museum opened—the now-famous Guimet Museum in Paris—which was a great success.

Émile was co-founder of the Franco-Japanese Society of Paris and served as its vice president in 1900 alongside President Louis-Émile Bertin. The headquarters were located in the Louvre Palace (Pavillon de Marsan), with the secretariat at 24 rue Creuze, the library at the Japan House in the Cité Internationale Universitaire, and the treasury at 33 rue Cambon, Paris.

Descendants

Jean Guimet (1880–1920), Émile's only son, inherited the family business. By 1940, the international operations of Guimet Blue employed 140 people worldwide. His grandson, Jacques Émile Guimet (April 27, 1908 – October 23, 1989), Jean's only son, took over after World War II. Facing competition from England, he had to sell the company in 1967. He later established an artisanal crafts area on part of the Fleurieu factory site.

Recent News

The Guimet Museum in Lyon closed in July 2007. Its collections are being transferred to the future Musée des Confluences.

Works by Émile Guimet

• Egyptian Sketches: A Tourist's Journal, Paris, 1867
• Hello Kanagawa, illustrations by Félix Régamey, Paris, 1876; Japanese translation, Tokyo, 1977
• Letters on Algeria, 1877
• Report to the Minister of Public Instruction and Fine Arts on Mr. Émile Guimet's Scientific Mission to the Far East, Lyon, 1878
• Japanese Walks, illustrated by Félix Régamey, 2 vols., Paris, 1878–1880; Japanese translation, Tokyo, 1982
• The Jubilee of the Guimet Museum: 25th Anniversary of its Foundation, 1879–1904, Paris, 1904
• Fiftieth Anniversary: January 1, 1860 – January 1, 1910, Paris, 1910
• Tai-Tsung, Opera in Five Acts (1894), based on the life of Tai-Tsung

See Also

• Guimet Museum