Apsara Dance. From Apsara Mera, 26 October 2010 , Chaktomuk Conference Hall. © 2010 Anders Jirås.

Phnom Penh, Cambodia — A millennium ago, the Khmer civilization flourished in Southeast Asia and its legacy still shapes the region’s art and culture. The magnificent Khmer architecture is recognized worldwide in the temple of Angkor Wat and the stone faces of the Bayon. But this creative empire left a living legacy that still fascinates audiences today: the art of Cambodian dance.

Boung Soung Dance from the ceremony in preparation for the performance in the Lakhaon Festival 2009 at the Chenla Theatre. © 2010 Anders Jirås

Dazzling images of the Royal Ballet of Cambodia captured by Swedish photographer Anders Jirås form the basis of a special exhibit at the National Museum of Cambodia in Phnom Penh. Exhibition runs November 5, 2010 to January 31, 2011.

Sampeah Krou, before the classical dance drama Preah Anurudh, Preah Neang Ossa. Organized by the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts, 6 June 2008, Chenla Theatre. © 2010 Anders Jirås

An architectural photographer by trade, Anders Jirås first visited Cambodia in 2005 and became interested in documenting the country’s unique performing arts. His first experiences with Cambodian performances were with students of Cambodian Living Arts and with Sovanna Phum, which specializes in the art of shadow puppetry. He was also captivated by a presentation of “les Nuits d’Angkor”, an annual dance presentation of the Ramayana by the Royal Ballet that began in 1995.

”The Swedish winter convinced me to return to Cambodia!” relates Anders. “This time I met Darryl Collins, an independent researcher working at the National Museum. In discussions with him and the museum directors the idea for this exhibit took shape.”

In 2008 Anders photographed the Royal Ballet for the first time. Through the connection and through the Lakhaon Festival at the French Cultural Center began photographing a wider range of Cambodian performing arts. But according to Anders Swedish interest in Cambodian Dance is not new, and actually began 99 years ago, with the visit of the Swedish Prince William in 1911. In the account of his trip, In the Land of the Sun, Prince William wrote:

“The first part of the programme was a prehistoric ballet of the gods…the dance contained a number of characteristic dances, such as flower, staff, fan dances, and so on, in which there was some very expert juggling with the different objects.

“One number, which specially took the fancy of the populace, was entitled ‘An angel, riding on a naga pursues a garuda through the air.’ The leading persons were hung from the roof by wires, which could be moved in elliptical orbits round the stage. Sprawling and gesticulating, they chased each other round the arena, looking exactly like children’s toys dangling on the end of a string.”

Cambodian dance is perhaps less flamboyant today, but no less fascinating as the series of full color photos in this special exhibit shows.

The exhibit was supported by Friends of Khmer Culture, a non-profit educational group with a long history of supporting positive projects in Cambodia.

Apsara Dance. From Apsara Mera, 26 October 2010, Chaktomuk Conference Hall. © 2010 Anders Jirås.

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF CAMBODIA INFORMATION

National Museum of Cambodia Official Site

Treasures of Khmer Culture-The National Museum of Cambodia

Cambodia’s National Museum Marks 90th Anniversary

CAMBODIAN DANCE – VIRTUAL PHOTO EXHIBIT

The Royal Ballet of Cambodia special exhibition is featured at the National Museum of Cambodia.

See the entire collection on the website of photographer Anders Jirås.

Article by Kent Davis, www.devata.org

NOTE: All photos of the Royal Ballet of Cambodia are copyright protected by Anders Jirås. For reprint permissions please contact the photographer directly.

Artist, architect and historian George Groslier designed the distinctive National Museum of Cambodia building as a tribute to traditional Khmer architecture. © National Museum of Cambodia

By Darryl Collins
(First published in 2005, this article reprint appears here with the author’s kind permission)

Phnom Penh, Cambodia - Visitors to Phnom Penh from the 1920s, as they still do to this day, identified the capital of Cambodia by the graceful silhouettes of the Royal Palace buildings and the imposing façade of the then Musée Albert Sarraut that is known today by its more familiar title, the National Museum of Cambodia.

George Groslier - Feb 4, 1887- Jun 18, 1945 - Seen in his museum office. Photo courtesy Nicole Groslier.

George Groslier (1887-1945), historian, curator and author was the motivating force behind much of the revival of interest in traditional Cambodian arts and crafts, and it was he who designed this quintessential building that is today synonymous with ‘traditional Khmer’ architecture.  It is perhaps better described as a building enlarged from Cambodian temple prototypes seen on ancient bas-reliefs and reinterpreted through colonial eyes to meet museum-size requirements.

Groslier, the first baby born in Phnom Penh of French parentage, returned to Phnom Penh in 1909 after being sent to France in 1891 for schooling.  The original concept behind the museum was that it be paired with a school teaching arts and crafts to Cambodian students so they could preserve the pure, untainted forms of traditional decorative and applied arts rather than ‘modern’ debased work.  This reasoned Groslier, could best be accomplished by copying designs from original works of art on exhibition.

The museum building itself featured the work of many of these same young Khmer artisans who contributed their talents to the carving of the massive entrance doors and window shutters and decorated the interior panels with paintings featuring mythological subjects.  These treasures are fortunately still in place.

Early beginnings

Albert Pierre Sarraut - Jul 28, 1872-Nov 26, 1962

The earliest known collections that pre-date this spectacular crimson building are the Musée Khmèr that displayed only samples of Khmer archaeology in the confines of the Royal Palace (1905) and the Musée de Phnom-Penh of the same year that displayed examples of Khmer sculpture within the compound of the former Lycée Sisowath.

Conservateurs of these early collections between 1905 and 1919 were: L-A. Rousseau, L. Pétillot, Henri Marchal, Roland Meyer and J. de Villeneuve.

Groslier’s intended museum was soon associated with the Ecole des Arts cambodgiens (1917) and became known as the Musée du Cambodge in 1919.  In 1920, this museum was soon to be officially renamed Musée Albert Sarraut after the then Governor-General of Indochina. The official portrait of M. Sarraut (above) was included in the 1920 publication, Cérémonie d’Inauguration du Musée Albert Sarraut et de L’Ecole des Arts cambodgiens.

Construction of the Musée Albert Sarraut

The Musée Albert Sarraut near completion in 1920. © National Museum of Cambodia

The foundation stone for the new museum was laid on 15 August 1917.  Some two-and-a-half years later, the completed Musée Albert Sarraut was inaugurated during Khmer New Year on 13 April 1920 in the presence of H.M. King Sisowath, François-Marius Baudoin, Résident-supérieur, and M. George Groslier, directeur des Arts cambodgiens, and conservateur du Musée.

Title page Cérémonie d’Inauguration du Musée Albert Sarraut et de L’Ecole des Arts cambodgiens, 1920. © National Museum of Cambodia

The original design of the building was slightly altered in 1924 with extensions that added wings at either end of the eastern façade that made the building even more imposing.

As can be seen from period photographs, the museum currently displays many items – in particular the bronze collection, in showcases that are part of the original furnishings.

The Collection

The collection is housed in high-ceilinged galleries open on one side to a square courtyard set with four pools and a manicured garden planted with palms.  It is a haven amidst bustling Phnom Penh.  The galleries are arranged systematically from the front of the building in a clockwise direction.  As Khun Samen, the present Director has whimsically noted, the majestic statue of Garuda ‘king of the birds’ that faces visitors as they enter the building, shows you the direction to take by pointing to his right.

Exhibition display in the Musée Albert Sarraut 1926. © National Museum of Cambodia

The four museum galleries are best understood by their orientation – in the east, the Bronze Galleries containing superb examples of Khmer bronze casting techniques from the 6th to 13th centuries.  Further to the south of these galleries is a new display dedicated to prehistory finds of early ceramics, metal and stone.  To the north of the Bronze Galleries, is a special exhibition space currently displaying fine and rarely- seen examples of Post-Angkorian Buddha images.

The remaining three main galleries surrounding the courtyard progress in an orderly fashion – the Southern Gallery displays sandstone sculptures from the 6th to 11th centuries (Phnom Da to Baphuon styles).  The West Gallery exhibits works of art from the classic Angkor Wat and Bayon styles from the 12th to 13th centuries – it is here the statue of King Jayavarman VII is displayed; while the North Gallery is primarily dedicated to decorative and applied arts – woodcarving, lacquer, ceramics and metalwork.

Many original museum display cases are still in use. Photo courtesy Nicole Groslier.

The porticos surrounding the garden house a wonderful collection of sacred, secular and architectural stone works that include yoni and linga, decorative doorway lintels, carved bas-reliefs on wall sections (from Banteay Chhmar temple) and important stele with Sanskrit and old Khmer inscriptions (dating mostly from 6th to 11th centuries).

Two other masterworks in the collection are the sandstone statue of Yama (the so-called ‘Leper King’, 12th century) housed under the pavilion in the centre of the inner courtyard and the monumental fragment of the bronze Reclining Vishnu (11th century) recovered from the Western Mebon temple in 1936 to be found in the north-eastern corner of the museum adjacent to the temporary exhibitions display.

Research, scholars and staff

Early directors of the museum from the 1920s-1940s contributed greatly to knowledge of the rapidly expanding collection – Groslier himself catalogued the collection, followed by Jean Boisselier and Solange Thierry (interim Director) who added their individual talents to cataloguing and management.

Madeleine Giteau - 1918-2005. Photo courtesy Andy Brouwer.

Control of the National Museum and Arts Administration was ceded by the French to the Cambodians on 9 August, 1951 and following Independence in 1953, the then Musée National de Phnom-Penh was the subject of Bilateral accords (7 November 1956).  From 1956 to 1966, the museum continued to flourish under the direction of Madeleine Giteau, Conservatrice du Musée National.

1966 marked the appointment of Chea Thay Seng, the first Cambodian Director of the National Museum and Dean of the newly created Department of Archaeology at the Royal University of Fine Arts.  This university that from its foundation as the Ecole des Arts cambodgiens in 1920 was intimately linked with students, artisans and teachers who worked to preserve Cambodian cultural traditions, can still be found to the rear of the museum.

The National Museum Today: Tourism and Culture

By the 1960s, the National Museum had become the centrepiece of a number of provincial museum collections scattered throughout Cambodia.  Today, it is regaining that status – after years of neglect, closure and uncertainty, provincial museums are re-opening across the country.

Following the highly successful ASEAN Summit, this year has been designated ‘Visit Cambodia Year 2003’.  As an integral part of appreciation of Khmer culture, visitors to Siem Reap should ensure their journey encompasses Phnom Penh for it is here the museum treasures of Cambodia are displayed.  This world-class collection of Khmer art spans the gamut of history – from prehistory finds, through pre-Angkorian masterpieces to the art of the classic Angkor periods, and the post-Angkorian Middle Period.  As Khun Samen, the current Museum Director has perceptively stated, “In order to better understand the evolution of Khmer art, it is preferable to study statuary and architecture together.”

The National Museum of Cambodia today.

Entrance to the collection is gained by purchasing a ticket at the north gate and guide services in foreign languages are available.  Visitors can also purchase souvenirs and publications (including ‘The New Guide to the National Museum’) from the bookshop just inside the main door.

How should the importance of this collection be defined?  Khun Samen dedicates this guidebook, “to young Cambodians, … that they may come to appreciate and preserve their cultural heritage”; and to all Cambodian and international visitors, “may the five blessings of the Buddha be upon them.”

National Museum of Cambodia Timeline

Inaugurated: 13 April 1920, Khmer New Year

Renovated: by architect, Vann Molyvann late 1960s (central section, main building)

Closed: 12 April 1975 to 7 January 1979 (civil war)

Re-opened: 13 April 1979, Khmer New Year

Renovated: 1994-1995, roof and sections of building renovated with Australian government funding through AIDAB (now AusAID) and OPG.  Ceremony to mark completion of work attended by HRH King Norodom Sihanouk and The Hon. Bill Hayden, AC, Governor-General of Australia, 28 April 1995.

Visitor Tips for the National Museum of Cambodia

Filination added this excellent article about visiting the National Museum of Cambodia in November 2010.  It features recent photos inside and outside the museum and helpful tips for visitors. Also see this article about the National Museum of Cambodia’s 90th anniversary on devata.org.

About the author:

Darryl Collins

Darryl Collins first came to Cambodia in early 1994, to work with staff at the National Museum of Cambodia as one of a group of specialised museum staff and architects, who came to assist with a project funded by the Australian Government between 1993 and 1995.  Darryl has remained in Cambodia ever since, lecturing at the Royal University of Fine Arts (Department of Archaeology) and as a co-member of a team of three in ARK Research (researching and publishing Building Cambodia: ‘New Khmer Architecture’: 1953-1970).

For five years he lectured at the Department of Archaeology, Royal University of Fine Arts, Phnom Penh.  In mid-2004 he completed a 1-year consultancy with the Department of Culture and Research, the APSARA Authority, Siem Reap and he spends his spare time writing and researching art, architectural and cultural topics.

In late 2004, Darryl returned once more to part-time work at the National Museum, Phnom Penh as manager for the Collection Inventory Project that will, over a period of some 5 years register works of art and transfer early French records of the museum onto a purpose-designed database.

In 2010, Darryl accepted a position on the Board of Directors of Heritage Watch International, an international organization based in Cambodia that is devoted to protecting and preserving Cambodian heritage and antiquities.

Darryl resides in Siem Reap in an antique home he restored while studying traditional Cambodian houses.  To visit Darryl’s home and read more about his work please visit http://www.darryl-siemreap.com/

George Groslier designed the iconic National Museum of Cambodia. Its style remains synonymous with ‘traditional Khmer’ architecture. Photo courtesy Nicole Groslier.

Phnom Penh, Cambodia - On April 13, 1920 Cambodians celebrated the New Year of the Monkey with the grand opening of the National Museum of Cambodia, housing the world’s most extensive collection of Khmer art.

Nicole Groslier

Although she wasn’t even two years old at the time, one petite French girl named Nicole has held the National Museum of Cambodia in her heart since that day…and with good reason. Her father George Groslier designed the museum, became its first Conservator, and devoted his life to preserving and perpetuating the art and culture of Cambodia.

Born in Phnom Penh in 1887, George Groslier was educated in France, and then returned to Cambodia in 1909. Service in WWI called him back to Europe but when the war ended he returned to his birth country with his wife Suzanne,  spending the rest of his life devoted to the arts, culture and people of Cambodia.

Nicole Groslier was born in Phnom Penh in 1918 and, like her father, has held a lifelong love for Cambodia and her people.

On April 13, 1920 an H.M. King Sisowath presided over the inauguration of the National Museum of Cambodia. Museum architect George Groslier is seated far left. Photo courtesy Nicole Groslier.

In 1920, H.M. King Sisowath attended the auspicious New Year’s Day inauguration of Cambodia’s first national museum, along with a host of international dignitaries. The facility was initially named for Albert Sarraut, former Governor General of Indochina. Sarraut’s political efforts gave George Groslier the opportunity to design and organize this monument to Khmer art that still today is synonymous with traditional Khmer architecture.

From childhood to maturity, Nicole Groslier would visit her father at his museum office marveling at the magical world of Khmer imagination. Nicole’s first true memory of visiting the museum is in January 1922, when she attended a special ceremony welcoming Marshall Joseph Joffre to Cambodia.

Nicole Groslier attends her first formal museum event with proud parents Suzanne and George. Photo courtesy Nicole Groslier.

Marshall Joffre was honored by this ceremony at the National Museum of Cambodia. Nicole is standing directly in the center of the action. Photo courtesy Nicole Groslier.

Marshall Joffre became one of France’s most senior officers in World War I after replacing the popular Philippe Pétain during the Battle of Verdun in 1916. H.M. Sisowath himself then took Le Maréchal to tour the temples of Angkor.

H.M. King Sisowath took Marshall Joffre on a tour of Angkor after the museum event.

Throughout his career, George Groslier continued his efforts as museum director to catalog the vast collection and to share his appreciation for Khmer creativity with the world. These dramatic photos from Nicole’s personal archive show the museum nearly inundated by the seasonal floods of the Mekong River in the 1930s.

Mekong floodwaters mirror the national museum's Khmer architecture. Circa 1934. Photo courtesy Nicole Groslier.

Two men in a pirogue paddle by the museum entrance. Circa 1934. Photo courtesy Nicole Groslier.

George and his wife Suzanne had two more children in Cambodia. First, Gilbert in 1922 and then their youngest child, Bernard-Philippe Groslier (below), in 1926. Inspired by his father, Bernard-Philippe also pursued a lifetime career focused on Cambodian history and Khmer culture.

George Groslier and his son, Bernard-Philippe, who also grew up to become a noted archeologist in the field of Khmer studies. Photo courtesy Nicole Groslier.

The museum's central courtyard remains a peaceful focal point, surrounded by Khmer art.

From its opening, the museum has attracted enlightened scholars whose work illuminates the mysteries and beauty of the ancient Khmer race. Jean Boisselier and Solange Thierry both added their talents to improving the museum. From 1956 to 1966, the museum flourished under the direction of Mme Madeleine Giteau, who occupied the same official residence as the Groslier family, just behind the museum.

In 1966, Chea Thay Seng became the first Cambodian Director of the museum, as well as Dean of the newly created Department of Archaeology at the Royal University of Fine Arts (RUFA). At the origins of this university we find the Ecole des Arts Cambodgiens that George Groslier organized in 1920. It’s goals remain the same, to intimately link students, artisans and teachers working to preserve and perpetuate Cambodian cultural traditions.

Since Cambodia’s  liberation and the restoration of a government by the people the museum has grown under the guidance of two Directors, Khun Samen and Hab Touch. In 2010, the museum’s second female Director, Mrs. Oun Phalline, assumed this vital administrative role.

Today the National Museum of Cambodia houses one of the world’s greatest collections of Khmer cultural material including sculpture, ceramics and ethnographic objects from the prehistoric, pre-Angkorian, Angkorian and post-Angkorian periods. Its facility includes more than 5,000 sq. meters of space devoted to exhibits, restoration, offices and meeting rooms.

Masterpieces of Khmer Culture

In 2007, the museum catalog, Masterpieces of the National Museum of Cambodia by Helen Jessup was published by Friends of Khmer Culture, offering art lovers and historians worldwide the opportunity to appreciate this extraordinary collection.

Article by Kent Davis, www.Devata.org

Special thanks to Nicole Groslier for sharing her photographs and memories.

Sua Sdei Chnam Thmei ๒๕๕๔

Happy New Year 2010

Central courtyard of the National Museum of Cambodia. The building was designed by George Groslier, who went on to become its first director in 1920.

By Kent Davis – www.devata.org

After serving as Director and Deputy Director of the National Museum of Cambodia (NMC) since 1996, Mr. Hab Touch has now been appointed to a new position in the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts.

Mr. Hab will now serve as Director-General in charge of the Department General of Cultural Affairs. This department is responsible for cultivating creativity in Cambodian within a broad range of arts disciplines and Mr. Hab will oversee five departments: the Department of Performing Arts; the Department of Cultural Development; the Department of Cinema and Cultural Diffusion; the Department of Fine Arts and Crafts; and the Department of Publications and Reading.

During his time with the NMC Mr. Hab was responsible for the world’s most magnificent collection of Khmer art managing many important projects protecting, preserving and promoting Cambodian cultural heritage.

Designed by George Groslier, who was born in Cambodia in 1887, the museum was built from 1917-1920 during the period of the French Protectorate in Cambodia (1863-1953). Groslier’s innovative design, with gabled roofs and carved doors reminiscent of ancient Khmer temples, remains a highlight of the fusion of traditional Khmer architecture and French colonial style in Phnom Penh.  On April 13, 1920 the museum was inaugurated under the auspices of His Majesty King Sisowath of Cambodia. In 1920, George Groslier became the museum’s first director, creating the historic position in which Mr. Hab has recently served.

Masterpieces of Khmer Culture - A detailed guide to some of Cambodia's most unique artistic treasures with descriptions in Khmer, English, French and Japanese.

As Director, Mr. Hab’s efforts resulted in significant improvements in the museum’s capacity to accommodate visitors and in its collection management. Important projects have included the establishment of the Conservation Laboratories, the Collection Inventory Projects, the Renewal of the Electrical System and Lighting, and many physical improvement to the gallery displays and refurbishment of the building.  The Museum Research Library has also been upgraded, and new educational programs continue to attract and train new generations of museum professionals in Cambodia.

Most recently, the National Museum of Cambodia hosted the launch of the Red List of Cambodian Antiquities at Risk, helping authorities focus on preventing pillage, theft and illegal export of cultural property.

In 2007, the museum published a multi-lingual museum catalog, Masterpieces of the National Museum of Cambodia, with the help of Friends of Khmer Culture and editor Dr. Helen Jessup.

Mr. Hab also played a large role in organizing the international exhibition of Khmer art, Angkor – Sacred Heritage Of Cambodia, attending its grand opening in Bonn Germany in 2006. The exhibition went on to inspire international audiences in Switzerland and Berlin.

National Museum Director Hab Touch meeting with DatAsia publisher Kent Davis in December 2008. Photo by Anders Jiras.

Journalist Andy Brouwer published three excellent articles on the international exhibit: Museum Pieces on the Move; Angkor’s Sacred Heritage and Hab Touch – Khmer Heritage in his Hands.

The new Director of the National Museum of Cambodia will be Mrs. Oun Phalline, who has served as Deputy Director of the NMC administration office since 1996. She follows in the footsteps of another distinguished woman director, historian Madeleine Giteau.

Devata.org wishes Mr. Hab Touch and Mrs. Oun Phalline great success in their new positions preserving and promoting Khmer culture and Cambodia’s cultural heritage.