Musée d'art contemporain de Lyon

What Musée d'art contemporain de Lyon does

The Musée d'art contemporain de Lyon (macLYON) is a municipal contemporary art museum located at 81 Quai Charles de Gaulle in Lyon's Cité Internationale, operating inside a building designed by Renzo Piano. Founded in 1984 as a public establishment of the Ville de Lyon, the museum presents a permanent collection of post-1984 works (including many acquired through the Lyon Biennale) alongside temporary exhibitions, and serves as the principal host venue for the Lyon Biennale. Core programmatic products include the Centre de documentation Maurice Besset (over 22,000 specialized books, 60,000 analog and 20,000 digital iconographic documents), the Le Living experimental workshop space, the navigart.fr online collection database, exhibition catalogues and a press portal. Ancillary commercial products comprise the macBAR café-restaurant-bar, the Blitz - Bazar et Galerie concept-store boutique, the Carte Muséums and Carte Culture annual subscription passes covering six municipal museums and the Lyon municipal library, and space rental for corporate and private events.

The museum is wholly owned by the Ville de Lyon (SIRET 216 901 231 02 942) and operates as a non-traded public cultural institution. Revenue is generated through a mix of admission fees (€25 standard, €18 reduced, with broad free-entry categories), subscription cards (€25/year standard, €22/year for bulk purchases of 10+), on-site food-and-retail concessions, exhibition catalogue sales, and private event rentals. Marketing is conducted through Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, an email newsletter, downloadable press kits, and embedded promotion via the Ville de Lyon's sortir-decouvrir platform. The museum is currently closed for the installation of the 18th Lyon Biennale and is scheduled to reopen on September 19, 2026.

The institution is led by Director Isabelle Bertolotti, who concurrently serves as Directrice artistique of La Biennale de Lyon, with Marilou Laneuville heading exhibitions. Strategic partnerships span international collaborators (British Council, Ikon Gallery Birmingham), regional peers (Institut d'art contemporain Villeurbanne, Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon, Auditorium-Orchestre national de Lyon), educational institutions (ENSBA Lyon, ESAD Saint-Étienne, ESAAA Annecy Alpes), corporate sponsors (Banque Palatine, Fondation d'entreprise Hermès), and the Région Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. The museum celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2024 and continues to operate a 45-employee organization across exhibitions, documentation, communications, mediation, and editorial functions.

Name

Musée d'art contemporain de Lyon

Legal name

Musée d'art contemporain de Lyon

Website

https://mac-lyon.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

macLYON is a municipal contemporary art museum in Lyon, France, owned by the Ville de Lyon since 1984, presenting post-1984 collections, hosting the Lyon Biennale, and serving general visitors, school groups, and art researchers through exhibitions, a 22,000-volume documentation center, café, boutique, and multi-museum subscription cards.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Contemporary Art Museum Services

NAICS

Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121), Museums (712110), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712)

akta.pro primary industry

Art Museums (THAJADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Museums & Heritage Sites (History, Science, Specialty) (BPAGAHAA), Performing Arts & Cultural Event Venues (Theaters, Museums) (THAHAAAG)

Keywords

• Contemporary art museum
• Art exhibitions
• Museum collections
• Cultural institution
• Museum education programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Lyon

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Admission fees: Ticket sales for museum entry with standard rate of €25 and reduced rate of €18 for eligible visitors. Free admission for children under 15, students, benefit recipients, and cardholders.
2. macBAR café-restaurant and boutique: On-site café-restaurant and retail boutique operated by the museum, offering food service and museum merchandise.
3. Annual museum card subscriptions: Annual subscription cards providing unlimited access to all six municipal museums in Lyon for €25/year (standard) or €22/year for bulk purchases of 10+ cards. Also Carte Culture at €38/year or €10/year for youth.
4. Space rental and private events: The museum rents spaces for corporate receptions, conferences, and private evening events.
5. Exhibition catalogues and publications: Sale of museum publications including exhibition catalogues and books.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Musée d'art contemporain de Lyon (macLYON) is a municipal museum that curates and presents contemporary art exhibitions drawn from its permanent collection (built since 1984, largely through the Lyon Biennale) and temporary shows. It supports these exhibitions with educational programs, a research documentation center, an on-site café-restaurant and concept-store boutique, and an annual museum pass valid across six Lyon municipal museums.

Product overview

The Musée d'art contemporain de Lyon (macLYON) is a municipal cultural institution offering contemporary art exhibitions and educational programs. Its product portfolio includes: core museum exhibitions with works from its permanent collection and temporary shows; the Centre de documentation Maurice Besset providing research resources with 22,000+ books and 80,000 iconographic documents; macBAR café-restaurant-bar; Blitz concept-store boutique; Le Living experimental workshop space; the Carte Muséums and Carte Culture annual passes for access to 6 Lyon museums; online collection database via navigart.fr; macLYON catalogs and publications; and a secure press portal for media resources. The museum also partners with external venues for off-site exhibitions and collaborates with international institutions like the British Council.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• macBAR: Café-restaurant and bar located on the ground floor of the museum, offering lunch service, afternoon coffee, evening DJ sets, and events with indoor/outdoor space facing Parc de la Tête d'or
• Blitz - Bazar et Galerie
• Centre de documentation Maurice Besset
• Le Living

Products and services

• macLYON Collection Database Online searchable database of artworks in the macLYON's permanent collection, accessible via the navigart.fr platform, supporting public discovery and research of the museum's holdings.
• Centre de documentation Maurice Besset On-site documentation center providing free access by appointment to over 22,000 specialized contemporary art books, periodicals, artist monographs, and exhibition catalogues, plus 60,000 analog and 20,000 digital iconographic documents, for researchers, students, and art professionals.
• macBAR On-site café-restaurant-bar at ground level of macLYON serving lunch, afternoon coffee, evening DJ sets and events, with indoor/outdoor space overlooking the Parc de la Tête d'Or; operates even while the museum is closed for the Biennale installation.
• Blitz - Bazar et Galerie Concept-store boutique operated by Blitz-Bazar within the museum, offering creative décor, books, cosmetics, accessories, stationery, handmade items, and unique objects.
• Le Living Experimental workshop space on the museum's first floor offering activities for children, reading areas, artist information, drawing materials and educational resources for all visitors.
• Carte Muséums Annual subscription card providing unlimited access to all permanent collections and temporary exhibitions at the six municipal museums of Lyon, with reduced rates at partner institutions including the Confluences Museum and fast-track entry; €25/year (individual) or €22/year for bulk purchases of 10+ cards.
• Carte Culture Ville de Lyon Combined annual pass offering access to all six municipal museums plus the entire Bibliothèque municipale de Lyon lending service, with reduced rates at partner cultural institutions and benefits at the Orchestre National de Lyon, Opéra de Lyon, and Théâtre des Célestins; €38/year (general), €10/year for youth aged 18-25.
• macLYON Catalogues Museum publications including exhibition catalogues, educational materials, and press dossiers available for consultation or download, covering major exhibitions and the permanent collection.
• Museum space rental for private and corporate events Private and corporate rental of museum spaces for receptions, conferences, and evening events, leveraging the Renzo Piano-designed building at the Cité Internationale as a high-profile event venue.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• British CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration for 'Friends in Love and War — L'Éloge des meilleur·es ennemi·es' exhibition presenting works from British Council and macLYON collections. With support from British Council as part of Royaume Uni/France Spotlight on Culture 2024.
• Ikon Gallery (Birmingham)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative exhibition partnership for 'Friends in Love and War' presented first at macLYON in Lyon (March-July 2024), then at Ikon Gallery in Birmingham (October 2024-February 2025).
• Institut d'art contemporain (Villeurbanne)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in 'Jeune création internationale' manifesting with Biennale de Lyon. Cooperative program bringing together emerging artists from regional and international scenes.
• École Supérieure d'Art Annecy Alpes (ESAAA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational partner in 'Jeune création internationale' cooperation, providing emerging artist selection from Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region.
• La Biennale de LyoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organizer of 'Jeune création internationale' and host venue. The macLYON serves as the main venue for Biennale exhibitions.
• Fondation d'entreprise HermèsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArtist residency program partner. Bianca Bondi conducted residency at Hermès Ennoblement Workshops in Irigny, resulting in exhibition at macLYON.
• ENSBA Lyon - Ecole nationale supérieure des beaux-arts de LyonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for 'Unité de Recherche Numérique' exhibition featuring student-researcher works on digital art and AI at the museum's Living space.
• ESAD Saint-Etienne - Ecole Supérieure d'Art et DesignminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint digital research program with ENSBA Lyon for 'Unité de Recherche Numérique Art et Design'.
• Banque PalatineminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor and partner for 'Échos du passé, promesses du futur' exhibition.
• Auditorium-Orchestre national de LyonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration for 'America' exhibition featuring works by Larry Bell, Dan Graham, and Seton Smith from macLYON collection displayed at Auditorium de Lyon.
• Musée des Beaux-Arts de LyoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership within 'Pôle des musées d'art de Lyon' for joint exhibitions including 'Connecter les mondes' and collaborative programming.
• Région Auvergne-Rhône-AlpesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRegional government sponsor for Biennale programming and 'Jeune création internationale'.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Palais de Tokyo: Paris-based center dedicated to contemporary creation with rotating exhibitions, artist residencies, and experimental programming; comparable as a French public institution focused on living artists and emerging practices.
• Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris: Municipal contemporary and modern art museum in Paris offering permanent collections, temporary exhibitions, documentation resources, and cultural programming — directly analogous to macLYON's role within the City of Lyon.
• Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon: Partner museum within the Pôle des musées d'art de Lyon and participant in the shared Carte Muséums network; operates as a municipal museum with comparable ticketing, exhibitions, and educational programming.
• Fonds régional d'art contemporain (FRAC) Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes: Regional contemporary art collection based in the same Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region; shares macLYON's contemporary art mission, public funding profile, and exhibition-led engagement model.
• Institut d'art contemporain (IAC) Villeurbanne: Neighboring contemporary art institution co-organizing the Biennale de Lyon 'Jeune création internationale' with macLYON; operates exhibitions, residencies, and a documentation center in the same metropolitan area.
• Musée d'Art Contemporain de Marseille (MAC Marseille): Regional French contemporary art museum with similar exhibition programming, collection-based activity, and public-institution governance model.

Regional players

• MUCEM (Musée des Civilisations de l'Europe et de la Méditerranée): Major French public museum focused on Mediterranean culture and society; comparable as a national-scale cultural institution with on-site F&B, retail, exhibitions, and event-rental operations, though different thematic focus.
• Musée d'Art Contemporain et Moderne de Strasbourg (MAMCS): Regional French contemporary art museum with permanent collections, temporary exhibitions, and municipal governance; structurally similar to macLYON with a different geographic catchment.

Broad incumbents

• Centre Pompidou: France's flagship modern and contemporary art museum in Paris; comparable as a major public contemporary art collection with similar exhibition, education, retail, and research functions, though at far greater scale and with a global audience.
• Tate Modern: Global benchmark for a publicly funded contemporary art museum with international partnerships and blockbuster programming; comparable business model and visitor-experience architecture, though at vastly larger scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/mocalyon
• Facebookfacebook.com/mac.lyon
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/maclyon-musee-d-art-contemporain-de-lyon
• Instagraminstagram.com/maclyon_officiel
• TikToktiktok.com/@mac.lyon

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Musée d'art contemporain de Lyon