Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon

Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon: Five Millennia of Art in the Saint-Pierre Abbey

Housed in a former Benedictine abbey from the 17th century on the splendid Place des Terreaux, the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon is one of France’s richest encyclopedic museums. Its collections span 5,000 years of art history, from ancient Egypt to the modern era, through the great masters of European painting.

Collections Not to Miss

European Painting from the 15th to the 19th Century

The museum holds an exceptional collection: Rubens (including The Adoration of the Magi), El Greco, Poussin, Rembrandt (his first known painting, The Stoning of Saint Stephen), Delacroix, Courbet… The grand painting galleries on the first floor offer a comprehensive survey of the history of Western painting.

Impressionist and Modern Art

Monet, Renoir, Gauguin, Picasso: the modern and contemporary department brings together major works from the Delubac bequest, forming a remarkable impressionist and modern art collection.

Antiquities and Islamic Arts

The departments of Egyptian, Greek and Roman Antiquities, alongside the Islamic arts collection, offer a journey through the great Mediterranean civilisations. The Egyptian mummy always draws a crowd.

Place des Terreaux

On leaving the museum, Place des Terreaux is worth a visit in itself. The monumental Bartholdi fountain (by the sculptor of the Statue of Liberty) stands at its centre, surrounded by Lyon’s baroque Hôtel de Ville. A remarkable architectural setting.

Getting Here from the Hotel

By Metro

Metro Line A: Perrache → Hôtel de Ville / Louis Pradel (4 stops, about 8 minutes). The exit opens directly onto Place des Terreaux, 50 metres from the museum entrance.