JACQUES MARCHAIS

HER STORY & VISION

Established in 1945, the Museum was founded by the pioneering American woman Jacques Marchais (1887-1948), an important collector and respected expert on Tibetan art.

Designed by Marchais, the rustic complex of fieldstone buildings resembles a Tibetan mountain monastery.  These historic buildings represent the first Himalayan-style architecture to be built in the United States, and it was the first museum in the world devoted solely to Tibetan art.

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This “Jewel on a Hillside” replicates the monasteries of Tibet while it contains the unique artifacts that reflect the art, history, culture, and religious articles that have been destroyed in their homeland. This singular place in the USA preserves site and artifacts in memory of the founder and as a collection held in a contextual setting.