Asian Community Block
The Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art
The Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art (JMMTA) was founded in 1945 to encourage interest, study, and research in the art and culture of Tibet and the surrounding regions. To this end, the Museum collects art, books, and photographs, and makes them available to the public through exhibitions and educational programs.
The Museum’s collection is housed in two fieldstone buildings designed to resemble a Himalayan mountain temple. Terraced meditation gardens and a lotus and fish pond add to the atmosphere of beauty and serenity. The Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art is unique in displaying its art collection in a setting especially conducive to its understanding and enjoyment.
Jacques Marchais (1887–1948) possessed a passionate interest in Tibetan art and culture, unusual for an American woman of her time. In the 1930s, after pursuing a career in the theatre, she established an Asian art gallery on 51st Street in Manhattan.
Jacques Marchais formed a substantial personal collection of art primarily from Tibet, Mongolia, and northern China dating from the 15th–early 20th centuries that was rich in bronze and other metal statues of buddhas, arhats, and protector deities, as well as in thangka paintings, ornate ritual objects, and musical instruments. During the 1940s, Jacques Marchais designed two buildings based on the architectural styles of Lhasa, Tibet, to permanently display her collection.
Contact Us
The Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art
338 Lighthouse Avenue
Staten Island, NY 10306
Tel: 718-987-3500
Fax: 718-351-0402
Executive Director
Meg Ventrudo
mventrudo@tibetanmuseum.org
Curator
Sarah Johnson, Ph.D.
sjohnson@tibetanmuseum.org
Bookkeeper
Jayne Catalfo
jcatalfo@tibetanmuseum.org
Buildings and Grounds
Clem Palumbo
Museum Assistant
Nicole Druda
ndruda@tibetanmuseum.org
