Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Dapper Museum was a private Parisian museum created in 1986 by the Dapper Foundation, dedicated to the arts and cultures of Africa, the Caribbean and their diasporas. Its name pays homage to the Dutch humanist of the seventeenth century Olfert Dapper. Originally housed in a mansion on Avenue Victor-Hugo, designed by Charles Plumet in 1901, he moved in 2000 to a larger area on Rue Paul-Valéry, redesigned by architect Alain Moatti to integrate exhibitions, shows, bookshops and cafes.

The foundation, founded in 1983 by Michel Leveau, an industrialist and collector of African art, was designed to preserve and promote the heritage of sub-Saharan Africa. Under the direction of Christiane Falgayrettes-Leveau, the museum has organized major exhibitions, such as those on the Fang statuary (1991, 60,000 visitors) or the Dogon arts (1994, 100,000 visitors). The Dapper Editions, launched in parallel, have published reference catalogues and youth books, strengthening its cultural influence.

Between 1998 and 2000, the museum evolved into a multidisciplinary model, welcoming music, dance, literature and cinema, with a showroom of 190 seats. He also opened his doors to contemporary art, exhibiting works by artists such as Ousmane Sow, Ndary Lô or Wifredo Lam. Despite its success, the museum closed in 2017 due to high costs and declining attendance, but the Dapper Foundation continued its activities, notably in Senegal and Martinique, supporting artistic and educational projects.

The Dapper Museum has played a key role in the transition from ethnographic museums to spaces dedicated to art, contributing to the aesthetic and market recognition of African arts. His exhibitions, such as Dogon (1994) or Women in the Arts in Africa (2008), marked visitors with their innovative approach. After its closure, the foundation has refocused its actions on nomadic projects, particularly in Africa and the Caribbean, such as exhibitions in Gorée (Senegal) or Martinique.

Among its international initiatives, the Dapper Foundation organized events within the framework of the Dakar Biennale, such as the retrospective of Ndary Lô in 2018, or exhibitions in Martinique, presenting ancient and contemporary works. His commitment to the transmission and enhancement of African and Caribbean cultures continues, despite the disappearance of the physical museum, through partnerships and educational projects.

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