The Lyon Biennale of Contemporary Art was founded in 1991 following the conclusion of the historic Paris Biennale.
It was conceived by Thierry Raspail, then director of the developing Museum of Contemporary Art of Lyon, as a major international event capable of bringing contemporary artistic debate to Lyon.
Since its creation, it has become one of France’s leading contemporary art events and an important fixture on the international biennial calendar.
The contemporary art biennale alternates with the Lyon Dance Biennale, allowing the organisation to present one major international event each year.
Different editions have used warehouses, factories, museums, historic buildings and public spaces, gradually making the architecture and social history of Lyon central to the event’s identity.
The 2026 edition continues this approach by connecting former railway workshops, a textile museum, a contemporary art museum, historic passageways and active neighbourhoods.
Lyon itself has a particularly relevant history for the theme. The city developed as a major centre for silk production, banking, trade, manufacturing and transport. It was also shaped by workers’ uprisings, industrial decline and later urban redevelopment.
The biennale uses this history to examine how economies influence bodies, environments, communities and cultural imagination.
Jeune Création Internationale
Emerging artists remain an important part of Lyon Biennale 2026 through the Jeune Création Internationale programme.
Originally established in 2002 under the name Rendez-vous, the initiative supports artists from the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region alongside artists from the international art scene.
The 2026 programme brings together eleven emerging artists invited to develop new works under professional production and exhibition conditions.
The artists work closely with curatorial and technical teams at the Institut d’art contemporain, allowing production and exhibition to become part of the same process.
The initiative supports experimentation while helping young artists build professional networks and gain exposure within an internationally recognised event.
Biennale en Territoires extends the event into neighbourhoods and communities throughout Lyon and the wider region.
Artists collaborate with residents, workers, associations and local organisations to create projects connected with everyday life.
For the 2026 edition, these collaborations examine economy and value within specific local contexts.
The programme may address subjects such as work, informal trade, care, migration, shared resources and the economic relationships operating within communities.
These projects help prevent the biennale from becoming an event experienced only by international visitors and art professionals.
They create direct relationships between contemporary artists and people who may not normally visit museums or major exhibitions.
