The museum
The building
The macLYON is situated 81 quai Charles de Gaulle, 69006 Lyon, France.
6,000m2 museum is spread over several floors and presents modular spaces that are perfectly adapted to the needs of the different artistic projects welcomed by the museum, as well as new forms of contemporary expression. The macLYON focuses on current national and international art, in all its forms, offering exhibitions and a wide programme of transdisciplinary events.
The history of the museum
Established in 1984 in a wing of the Palais Saint-Pierre, in 1995 the Musée d’art contemporain de Lyon moved to the site of the Cité internationale, a vast architectural ensemble spread over one kilometre on the edges of the Parc de la Tête d’Or, in Lyon’s 6th arrondissement. The work of architect Renzo Piano, responsible for the entire site, the museum conserves the facade of the atrium of the former Palais de la Foire, overlooking the park. The Palais was designed by Charles Meysson in the 1920s.. See the key dates
Temporary exhibitions
The macLYON has chosen to regularly renew its exhibitions. This is why you will only see temporary exhibitions specially produced for its spaces. They can be collective exhibitions or solo shows, showing works from the collection or loans ... And it is also for this reason that the museum is closed for mounting between two exhibition periods.
Check our program before your visit!
Artworks around the museum
The artworks around the museum are visible at any time.
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Presentation (Gras)
L'architecte : Renzo Piano
L'architecte : Renzo Piano
Renzo Piano est né le 14 septembre 1937 à Gênes (Italie) dans une famille d'architectes. Il fait ses études à Florence et à Milan où il passe son diplôme au département d'architecture de l'école polytechnique en 1964 ; il travaille ensuite avec son père, puis sous la direction de Franco Albini.
Il dirige aujourd'hui des cabinets d'architecture à Gênes, à Paris, où il vit, et à Berlin sous la dénomination de Renzo Piano Building Workshop, un groupe qui rassemble une centaine de collaborateurs, architectes, ingénieurs et spécialistes divers.
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Presentation (Gras)
Oeuvres aux abords
Oeuvres aux abords
Les œuvres situées à l'extérieur sont visibles en permanence.
Celles exposées dans le hall sont accessibles gratuitement aux horaires d'ouverture du musée.
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Presentation (Gras)
Une muséographie évolutive
Une muséographie évolutive
L'espace intérieur du musée est totalement modifiable, répondant aux exigences multiples des artistes ainsi qu'à la diversité des scénarios d'expositions conçus par les conservateurs.
Cette mobilité est parfaitement invisible. Le système retenu permet de construire les murs autour des œuvres. Ce principe offre la possibilité de varier les parcours et les scénarios et de présenter un musée nouveau à chaque exposition. Les trois niveaux d'exposition (2 800 m2 au total) peuvent être entièrement dépourvus de murs et offrir des plateaux libres de 800 ou 1 000 m2. Le système permet également de moduler les éclairages : naturel, artificiel ou zénithal (au 3e étage).
The Art museums hub: two museums, two collections, a new dimension
In 2018, the City of Lyon created the Art museums hub, which brought together the Museum of Fine Arts of Lyon (MBA) and the Contemporary Art Museum (macLYON). Its ambition was to give the city's museums a more dynamic and innovative profile, and to enhance their fame on local, national, and international levels through innovative collaborations. Doing so, Lyon founded the only art museums hub of its kind in France, with artworks spanning from Antiquity to the most contemporary creations.
The Hub is a space where the museums' staff and visitors can experiment, explore new forms of expression, exchange points of view, and bridge old divides. It is an opportunity to create a new kind of museum experience, in touch with our moving, changing world.
The Art museums hub enables each museum to expand its own programme by providing activities which are devised in partnership: artist residencies at both museums, exhibitions on common themes based on works from their respective collections, and programmes where visitors go back and forth between the sites, so they can experience the synergy between the two museums for themselves.
Last but not least, the Hub is an opportunity to play a part in widening the concept of the museum: a place reinventing itself since the beginning of the 21st century. It invites us to create new narratives by forging a connection between two collections, to go beyond their history and individual identities.
An MBA ticket purchased less than 6 months ago? Pay the reduced rate at macLYON!
The museum is temporarily closing its doors to prepare for upcoming exhibitions.
It will open Friday, September 19, 2025.
Musée d'Art Contemporain
Lyon, France
+ 33 (0)4 72 69 17 17
The Lyon Museum of Contemporary Art is located at the Cité Internationale, Lyon 6e.
It is very easily accessible by bus (lines C1, C5 and C23), bicycle (cycle paths along the quays and the Parc Tête d'Or) or car (three carparks along the quai Charles de Gaulle).
To find out more about reduced mobility accessibility, go to the dedicated page.
The macBAR is open, more information on opening hours here.
The shop is temporarily closed. It will open Friday, September 19, 2025.
The Documentation Center is located on the ground floor.
Free to access and open by appointment.
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
04 72 10 38 30
