Villa Gillet is located in Lyon, in the parc de la Cerisaie. Designed by the Lyonnais architect Joseph Folléa and built in 1912 for the Gillet family, industrialists in dyeing, it overlooks the former factory area below. The villa was decorated with an animal frieze painted in 1913 by Louis Bardey and was listed as a historic monument in 2015. After Paul Gillet’s death, the family sold the property to the city of Lyon in 1976.
Since 1987, Villa Gillet has been a European and international house of contemporary writings. It gives voice to writers, thinkers, and artists, and serves as a meeting place for reflection on literature, the humanities, philosophy, and the performing arts. The institution brings together artists, writers, novelists, and researchers from around the world through conferences, debates, round tables, readings, and other public events. Its activities are partially supported by the city of Lyon, the Metropolis of Lyon, the Direction Régionale des Affaires Culturelles Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, and the Centre national du livre. Guy Walter directed the institution from 1989 to 2019, and Lucie Campos is the current director.
Nearby Objects
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Parc de la Cerisaie 150 m away -
Fort Saint-Jean 550 m away -
Institution des Chartreux 600 m away -
Église Saint-Augustin 650 m away -
Church of Saint-Bruno des Chartreux 650 m away
Architecture and Cultural Role
Villa Gillet is located in Lyon, in the parc de la Cerisaie. It was designed by the Lyonnais architect Joseph Foll ea and built in 1912 for the Gillet family, industrialists in dyeing. The building was later sold to the city of Lyon in 1976 after the death of Paul Gillet. In 2015, it was listed as a historic monument.
Today, Villa Gillet functions as a European and international house of contemporary writings. It gives voice to writers, thinkers, and artists, and is described as a cultural institution interested in many forms of culture, including literature, social sciences, politics, history, and contemporary arts. It brings together artists, writers, novelists, and researchers from around the world to foster public reflection through conferences, debates, round tables, and readings.
The building is decorated with an animal frieze painted in 1913 by Louis Bardey. Its operations are partially supported by the city of Lyon, the Metropolis of Lyon, the Direction Regionale des Affaires Culturelles Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes, and the Centre national du livre. It was directed by Guy Walter from 1989 until 2019, and Lucie Campos became director after his retirement.
Industrial Origins and the Villa's Site
From 1853, the Gillet family, an industrial family, searched for land to build factories and invested in Vaise and on land by the Saone river near Croix-Rousse hill. They owned land that is now on quai Joseph Gillet, formerly quai de Serin, where they operated a dyeing factory by 1880 producing flottes en noir. Villa Gillet was built in 1912 on the heights overlooking the quai factories. After Paul Gillet's death, his heirs ceded the villa to the city of Lyon.
Villa Gillet as a Literary Meeting Place
Created by Activites in 1987, Villa Gillet was established as a house of contemporary writings. It was defined as a meeting place for writers, thinkers, and artists, with a focus on literature, the humanities, philosophy, and the performing arts. Activites also described it as a laboratory for reflection on the practices of books, writing, speech, and debate. Throughout the year, the site hosted events, including activities tied to two festivals, and it was presented as a place for international literary meetings and literary dialogues. New formats were also arranged for the public interventions of writers, reinforcing its role as a space dedicated to exchange and discussion.
Festivals and Public Literary Events
Villa Gillet is strongly associated with public literary programming and debate. Its activities have included scheduled events from September to July, with debates, round tables, readings, and performances focused on literary life and ideas. These events have been held in the villa's theatre and salons, as well as in a wide range of partner venues in Lyon, including the Bibliotheque municipale de Lyon, Opera de Lyon, Theatre des Celestins, Musee des Confluences, Musee des Beaux-Arts, and les Subsistances. The institution has also organized activities in the Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes region at venues such as Comedie de Saint-Etienne, MC2 de Grenoble, Hexagone a Meylan, and Espace Malraux a Chambery.
Since 2007, Villa Gillet has invited about fifty writers from around the world each year for conversations, meetings, and public readings. These festival events have targeted all readers and have brought writers together to discuss contemporary cultural, social, and political issues. From 2007 to 2019, the festival was called les Assises internationales du roman. In 2020, it was held online because of the Covid-19 health crisis, with a dedicated site and virtual visits of Villa Gillet rooms using videos, podcasts, and texts from more than fifty writers and artists. In 2021, the festival was renamed Littérature Live, presented as the international literature festival of Lyon and the Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes region.
The Villa Gillet has also organized Mode d'emploi : un festival des idees, created in 2012 and dedicated to humanities and philosophy. This event gathered researchers, public figures, association members, authors, and artists from France and abroad for debates, and included two weeks of performances, readings, debates, and workshops addressing major contemporary questions. The festival has been held every November in various cultural and university locations in the Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes region.
Franco-German Literary Initiatives
Villa Gillet, through its activities, conceived the Franco-German Franz Hessel literary prize together with the Fondation Genshagen. The prize has been awarded annually since 2010 with support from the French Ministry of Culture and the German Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and Media. It is endowed with 10,000 euros and is granted each year to one author from each language. Laureates are selected by an independent Franco-German jury, following an initial process in which German and French juries choose two finalists from each country. The prize was used to promote intellectual and literary relations between France and Germany, and it was also intended to encourage translation of the winning works into the other language. In addition, Villa Gillet organized the Walls & Bridges - Transatlantic Insights festival in New York from 2011 to 2013 with multiple American partners, using the festival to facilitate dialogue between French and American thinkers and artists.
Management and Restructuring
Villa Gillet is managed by an association under the 1901 law and receives subsidies from the City of Lyon and cultural institutions. In 2016, the Regional Chamber of Accounts criticized the management of the institution, including the director's salary, which it considered excessive. The closed case was followed by a drastic budget reduction and a 50 percent loss of the wage bill. After the report, the villa entered a period of audit and restructuring with its funders. Lucie Campos took over direction in autumn 2019, then defined a new project for the institution in consultation with the City of Lyon and regional cultural bodies. She also renewed the team, which was reduced to eight people.