Expositions to see during the Fete des Lumières

Paintings, drawings, photographs, street art….welcome to the great museums of Lyon

The Musée des Beaux-Arts displays drawings by Henri Matisse

Henri Matisse (1869-1954) is know worldwide for his colourful paintings. A little less for his drawings. With the exhibition “Le laboratoire intérieur” or “Inside the laboratory” Lyon’s Musée des Beaux-Arts shines it’s lights on 250 works of practice and preparation drawn by the master of Fauvism and created between 1905 and 1952.

The exhibition which opens on December 2nd is also an opportunity to remember the links which bring painting together in Lyon. While suffering from intestinal cancer, in 1941 Matisse was operated on in Lyon and thereafter began his “second life”. Usually confined to a wheelchair, he then began his famous gouaches paintings and the painter gave a collection of drawings from his lifetime to the Musée des Beaux Arts.

Musée des Beaux Art. 20 place des Terreaux, Lyon 1ere. Closed on Tuesdays.

Bizarre Photographs of Lyon – Place Antonin-Poncet

Interested to see Lyon in a different light? Then go see the photographs displayed on the railings of Place Antonin-Poncet between Bellecour and the Rhone.

The young association, Friends of Place Antonin-Poncet have confided in five local photographers who wish to show you some of the city’s more bizarre aspects. From a view of the Vanoise Massif seen from the hill of Fourviere, to the basement of La Grande Poste, along with original new perspectives of Les Halles de Lyon and the Confluence.

On display until December 15th.

Street Artists of the world at the Musée d’Art Contemporain.

What a great idea from the Museum of Contemporary Art in Lyon (MAC) to offer it’s walls to 10 street artists from around the world. These artists, Mexican, Belgian, Argentinian, Australian, Chinese and from L’Isle de Reunion have been invited by French street artist Julien Malland, known on the street as “Seth” and who toured the world in 2003.

In this exhibition “Wall Drawings” they deliver to the walls as much about technique as they do about sources of inspiration. A real voyage of discovery and on display until January 15th.

Musée d’art contemporain. 81 quai Charles de Gaulle, Lyon 6eme. Open Wednesday to Sunday from 11h to 18h

Typo, an exposition of character

Behind every letter of this article there are men and women, creators of “font” and of “typeface”. Although they themselves have become invisible, the art of typeface still has it’s schools and it’s masters.

The Musée de l’Imprimerie et de la Communication Visuelle – the Musem of Printing and Visual Communication of Lyon pays tribute to them by displaying 30 years of work from the National Atelier of Typeface Research. The exposition “Typo” allows you to understand the use and origin of these characters which we use every day.

Musée de l’Imprimerie et de la Communication Visuelle, 13 rue de la Poulaillerie, Lyon 2eme. Open Wednesday to Sunday 10h30 to 18h.

By Frederic Crouzet (translated by Simon Widdowson)