MEG – Musée d’ethnographie de Genève

A museum open to the challenges of our society

MEG is a museum that looks at global societal and environmental issues. Issues such as decolonization, collaborative processes and sustainability form the core of its vision. In Switzerland as elsewhere, colonial legacies are contested, unfair trade is criticized, racism and exclusion are denounced. In response to these movements, the notions of partnership, exchange, collaboration and co-construction are promoted within the Museum in a spirit of mutual respect and trust.

Its collections, composed of more than 75,000 objects, 200,000 books and documents (iconographic, holographic, audiovisual and sound) connect MEG with the bearers of cultures from the five continents.

Since 2014, MEG has been housed in a remarkable contemporary building - a symbol of its audacity and singularity - which has become an architectural landmark in Geneva. The Museum, its Library, its Café and its Landscaped Garden constitute spaces of social, cultural and intergenerational mix within the Plainpalais neighborhood at the Jonction, in a popular student and residential environment.

As one of the City of Geneva's museums, this flagship municipal institution has notably received numerous awards, including the European Museum of the Year Award (EMYA) in 2017 as well as the Red Dot Design Award and the Multimedia Art Award in 2015, reflecting the qualitative and innovative aspects of its cultural offering.