Early Modern · Architecture

Contemporary Arts Museum of Lyon

Lyon

The Museum of Contemporary Art of Lyon is a museum dedicated to contemporary art in Lyon. It is located at the Cité Internationale near the Parc de la Tête d’Or, in a building originally part of the former Palais de la Foire de Lyon. The building was designed by architect Charles Meysson and later modified by Renzo Piano. It preserves the facade of the former Lyon fair palace and is placed in the heart of the Cité Internationale, near the Parc de la Tête d’Or.

The museum’s history began in 1984, when it was located in a wing of the current Museum of Fine Arts of Lyon. The first production intention was associated with the Georges Adilon exhibition at the Museum Saint-Pierre Art Contemporain in October 1984, for a monumental artwork of which only one-sixth was shown. The museum was inaugurated in its Renzo Piano-designed building in 1995. Its art production policy required a fully modifiable interior space able to meet different artists’ requirements and exhibition scenarios. Since 2018, the Museum of Contemporary Art of Lyon has formed a pole with the Museum of Fine Arts of Lyon.

Map showing the location of Museum of Contemporary Art of Lyon in Lyon
Location of Museum of Contemporary Art of Lyon in Lyon

Nearby Objects

Building and Location

The Contemporary Arts Museum of Lyon is located in Lyon, at the Cite Internationale near the Parc de la Tete d'Or. It is dedicated to contemporary art. The museum occupies a building that was originally part of the former Palais de la Foire de Lyon. This building was designed by architect Charles Meysson and later modified by Renzo Piano. Its history links an older exhibition structure with a later architectural adaptation for museum use.

History and Architecture of macLYON

The museum of contemporary art of Lyon was first located in a wing of the current museum of fine arts of Lyon in 1984. An early production intention appeared during the Georges Adilon exhibition at museum Saint-Pierre art contemporain in October 1984, when the resulting artwork was described as having monumental dimensions, with only one-sixth of it shown. The museum was inaugurated in 1995 in a building designed by Renzo Piano. This building preserves the facade of the former Lyon fair palace and stands in the heart of the Cite Internationale near the Parc de la Tete d'Or. The architectural ensemble extends almost one kilometer along the park.

The museum's art production policy influenced the design of the building, requiring a fully modifiable interior space. This flexibility was intended to meet the diverse requirements of artists and the exhibition scenarios proposed by curators. In 2018, the museum of contemporary art of Lyon formed a pole with the museum of fine arts of Lyon. Since that year, the museum of fine arts of Lyon has been under the general direction of Sylvie Ramond. Within macLYON, Thierry Raspail, director since 1984 and cofounder of the Lyon Biennale, left the museum on March 8, 2018. Isabelle Bertolotti became director in 2018 after nearly 15 years as exhibition manager, and Julien Nemoz has served as secretary general since 2022.