Lyon’s modern arts museum, the Musée d’art contemporain de Lyon is located in the 6th arrondissement of Lyon, in the Cité Internationale development, and right next to the famous Parc de la Tête d’Or.
History
Originally created in 1984, the Contemporary Arts Museum was initially housed in the Musée des Beaux Arts on Lyon’s Place de Terreaux under the name of Musée Saint-Pierre art contemporain. In 1988 the Direction des Musées de France officially granted it the status of contemporary art museum and in 1995, it moved to the current building that had been designed by Renzo Piano in the 6th arrondissement. The present building, which has both a 1930s facade and a modern brick volume, was inaugurated on the 19th of December 1995. It has two side entrances and covers some 2700m². To date, more than one hundred exhibitions have been hosted in it.
Philosophy
The philosophy of Musée d’art contemporain de Lyon is to present works that have been created by artists directly on the site. Its permanent collection, which is in fact the largest European group installation ever assembled in a museum, alternates regularly with temporary exhibitions. In order to facilitate such rotation, the museum is closed for up to six months each year to put the future exhibition in place.
Website
Due the frequent and lengthy closures to facilitate the installation of new exhibitions it is advisable to check its website before visiting.
Café du Musée
Given the museum’s location right in front of Parc de la Tête d’Or, the terrace of its small café/restaurant the Café du Musée is particularly pleasant in the summertime. The café is open during the museum’s opening hours.
Address: 17-20 Place des Terreaux, 69001 Lyon
Transport: Buses C1, C4 and C5 all serve the Musée d’Art Contemporain stop.
Opening hours:
Wednesday – Sunday, 11:00am – 6:00pm
Prices:
Full price : €8.00
Reduced price : €4.00
