When the Olmecs carved their deities on blocks of stone, 400 years before our era, did they imagine that these monumental statues would one day be exhibited on the other side of the world, at the Musée du Quai Branly Jacques Chirac? Did they suspect that this exhibition would do them justice, a people, who were at the origin of all Mesoamerican cultures, before the arrival of Christopher Columbus? 
The Olmecs: Who were they?
First of all, a people, whose memory was erased by the remains of the Incas, Mayan and Aztec civilizations.Olmec comes from the word Oman, which means people of the rubber country. Rubber bullets have been discovered in the sites where they lived. Remnants of the ball games they organized. From the 17th century to the 5th century BC, the Olmecs erected the first monumental pyramids of the continent, built the first urban agglomerations, erected imposing statuary, invented the so-called long-count calendar, writing… Their territory once stretched from present-day southern Mexico to the western part of Central America. In this region of the Gulf of Mexico and the Tehuantepec Isthmus (the shortest path that connects the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean) about twenty languages were spoken, at the foot of the highest volcano in Mexico, the Citlaltepetl. A space for cultural and intellectual exchange and mixing extended there. There , in this marshy area, radiated one of the most important and mysterious civilizations. 
The exhibition shows 300 pieces, some for the first time, outside Mexico
Lorenzo's colossal head, iconic in the Olmec style, had never left Mexico. 10 were found, including this one, in San Lorenzo. 4 in La Venta, 2 in Très Zapotes and 1 in La Cobata. This one is the smallest in San Lorenzo, it still weighs 6 tons.In addition to the sculptural work on the basalt block of several tons, we must imagine the inventiveness of these peoples to transport these colossi from the place of extraction to the workshop. The sculptures depict a man wearing a helmet. Is it a deceased god or king? Some bear signs of mutilation. Perhaps they are disgraced leaders or magic signs to ward off the power of a function. The Olmecs contemplated them from the front and side, the back not being worked. We are talking about sculptures in the round hump, that is to say not leaning against a wall. We could go around it. Traces of paint indicate an original coloration. The sculptures drew an alley, placed in a parallel line, leading to the civil or religious building. Remains of a palace have also been unearthed on this site. We can see in these works a successful stylization of forms. Stone faces of remarkable finesse, strong expressiveness. Thick half-open lips, wide-eyed with surprise or curiosity, furrowed eyebrows, underline a certain realism and a deep artistic sensitivity.
An imagination that nourishes knowledge as much as science
It is in these terms that the President of the Musée du Quai Branly Jacques Chirac describes Olmec culture. To him, it resembles this fascinating sculpture of a scarified woman, discovered broken, intentionally in pure water, at the sight of which the woman takes shape. Olmec art is a narrative art, it tells mystical stories, of richness and great poetry. This sculpture illustrates the story of a woman "who comes from far away, from the humid country. Few have seen it. Her secret, by day, she is a stone by the wayside, at night, a river, flowing alongside man. "Emmanuel Kasarhérou, President Musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac Broken and incomplete, this work is a magnificent testimony to the sculptural art of ancient Mexico. It dates from the first centuries of our era. An offering, which we do not know if it represented an important person or of great renown. The scarifications on the thighs, the juvenile forms give this bust a beauty of astonishing sensuality. Olmec art is inexhaustible, it never ceases to intrigue and challenge us. The Olmecs and the cultures of the Gulf of Mexico, an exhibition to visit until July 15, 2021! 
