MEG – MUSÉE D’ETHNOGRAPHIE (ETHNOGRAPHY MUSEUM)

Meet the origins of the world and cultures through MEG's exhibitions. Works and objects of great richness.

At first glance, the outer casing of the MEG will not leave you indifferent. An openwork metal case that invites you to discover the secret of the works it houses. Like an iceberg, most of its surface area is underground: with its 7,200 m² of surface area for public activities, including 2,000 m² for the exhibition rooms in a single block in the second basement, without the slightest pillar, it now has what it lacked: space, with the rare luxury of having a ceiling height of between 5 and 10 m. An architectural jewel that offers permanent and temporary exhibitions! Since its creation by Eugène Pittard (1867-1962), an internationally renowned anthropologist, the museum, like a nomad, has settled in different places before this emblematic building. After all these years of exhibitions, the MEG is rich with 70,000 pieces from no less than 1,500 different cultures from all over the world! In addition to 40,000 books and countless documents, the MEG has chosen to exhibit 1,000 pieces in the permanent exhibition route. Travelling through MEG means travelling the world and the origins of its population. Set off on a long journey across the continents, through time: Africa: masks, sculptures; Asia: magnificent objects from Japan; the Americas: pre-Columbian objects or objects from Amazonian cultures; Oceania : objects from New Guinea and Australia; Europe : collections from 46 countries or cultural areas.