(TibetanReview.net, Jul09’25) – After ignoring sustained criticisms from experts and protests from activists over many months, the Musée Guimet, a Paris museum known for its rich collection of Asian art, is facing a lawsuit from several groups who accuse the institution of trying to “erase the existence of Tibet” in a move to please China.
The lawsuit centres around a gallery devoted to art from Nepal and Tibet. The museum now notes that the gallery focuses on the “Himalayan world,” not Nepal and Tibet specifically, noted the AFP last week, reporting on the lawsuit. The museum made the change early last year under apparent pressure from China, which is accused of destroying Tibetan culture in the name of Sinicizing it.
The groups say this could create “confusion about Tibet’s cultural distinctiveness with the political aim of erasing Tibet’s existence.”
The lawsuit also addresses other instances of alleged efforts to strip texts of references to “Tibetan art,” which is seen as being designed not to offend China, which has stopped using the term “Tibet” by replacing it with the Chinese name “Xizang”.
The plaintiffs – SFT- France, France Tibet, Association Lions des Neiges Mont-Blanc, and the Tibetan Women’s Association France – maintain that the Musée Guimet, which operates under the French Ministry of Culture, has a public duty to maintain impartiality and historical accuracy in its presentation of Asian cultures. They allege that the museum’s recent rebranding obscures Tibet’s distinct cultural and historical identity.
They also contend that the change aligns with Chinese political narratives and dilutes Tibet’s distinct cultural heritage.
Their lawyers have told the AFP that it was “hard not to see a political undertone and a deliberate choice by Guimet to align itself with Chinese lobbying efforts.”
The museum has, on the other hand, argued that using the phrase “Himalayan world” was an effort to “highlight the richness of cultural interactions across this vast and complex region.”
It’s not the first time the Musée Guimet has received pushback over the way it has discussed Tibet in its materials, noted artnews.com Jul 7. Last year, more than 140 organizations signed an open letter that said the museum “risks endorsing China’s colonisation of Tibet and the systematic erasure of its culture and heritage.”