Le Magasin des horizons

Le Magasin des horizons is a national centre for contemporary art and culture in Grenoble, France, founded in 1986. Housed in a former industrial building originally constructed by Gustave Eiffel's workshops for the 1900 Paris World's Fair, it operates on the model of German Kunsthallen, dedicating its entire space to temporary exhibitions developed in close collaboration with invited artists. Renamed Magasin des horizons in 2016 under director Béatrice Josse, the institution was known as Le Magasin, Centre National d'Art Contemporain (CNAC) from its inception until 2016, and reverted to Le Magasin-CNAC after 2022. In September 2025, it received the label of 'centre d'art contemporain d'intérêt national', becoming the third contemporary art centre in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region to obtain this designation.

The centre was inaugurated on 26 April 1986 by French Culture Minister François Léotard as part of President François Mitterrand's Grands Travaux cultural programme, with support from the city and the state. Its founding director was Jacques Guillot, who chose the name 'Magasin' after the word inscribed on the building's facade; graphic designer Bernard Baissait created the blue-background logo. The conversion of the industrial building was carried out by architect Patrick Bouchain, known for his experience in architectural reconversions. The institution's design preserved the integrity of the original industrial space while creating exhibition areas. Subsequent directors included Franz Wilhelm Kaiser (1986-1989), who helped establish the École du MAGASIN, a curator training school; Adelina von Fürstenberg (1989-1994); Yves Aupetitallot (1994-2015); and Béatrice Josse from March 2016. In 2005, the city of Grenoble, owner of the building, undertook replacement of the leaking glass roof, and the centre reopened on 21 January 2006. In December 2014, Le Magasin became the first French art centre to benefit from a fundraising art auction of donated works. Aupetitallot's dismissal in October 2015 led to legal conflict resolved in his favour eight years later. Under Josse, the centre adopted a feminist and post-colonial orientation, becoming a 'zone of indetermination' rather than a conventional exhibition space, but this provoked internal conflict. After 15 months of sick leave and disputes with the municipality over building renovation, Josse left in March 2021. In April 2021, a collective of artists and residents occupied the space, renaming it 'La Supérette' to experiment with self-governance for one month. Céline Kopp became director in January 2022, though by late 2025 she too had departed amid reports of degraded working conditions.

Unlike a traditional museum, Le Magasin does not acquire works or maintain a permanent collection. Its programming consists entirely of temporary exhibitions renewed every quarter, with many works created in situ specifically for the space. This approach, modelled on German Kunsthallen, places strong emphasis on artist involvement and prospective, experimental programming. The centre also organises art appreciation workshops, training, conferences, and publishes books and catalogues related to its exhibitions.

Given its non-collecting nature, Le Magasin is distinguished by significant in situ commissions and temporary exhibitions rather than permanent holdings. Artists who have created site-specific works responding to the building's architecture and its characteristic internal 'street' include Daniel Buren (1986), Guillaume Bijl (1989), Anish Kapoor (1991), and Jim Isermann (2000). Notable exhibitions have included 'À la une' curated by Claude Closky (2006) with participants such as John Armleder, Monica Bonvicini, Sylvie Fleury, Thomas Hirschhorn, Pierre Huyghe, and others; Daniela Comani's 'More than zero' (1993); Jack Goldstein (2002); Latifa Echakhch's 'Il m'a fallu tant de chemins pour parvenir jusqu'à toi' (2007); Lothar Hempel's 'Alphabet City' (2007); Lang/Baumann's 'Portrait de l'artiste en motocycliste. Olivier Mosset' (2009); Anselm Reyle's 'Ultracore' (2013); Francis Alÿs's 'Je marche donc nous sommes' (2018); and Chloé Delaume's 'Dream Operator' (2018-2020).

The building is a 3,000-square-metre iron structure originally designed by Gustave Eiffel's workshops for the 1900 Paris Exposition Universelle. After the fair, manufacturers Bouchayer and Viallet, who worked in hydroelectric equipment, purchased the structure, dismantled it, and reassembled it in Grenoble as their boilerworks factory, designated Usine A of the Bouchayer-Viallet group. It served for sixty years as a boiler workshop for the hydroelectric industry before becoming a warehouse. The building's industrial character, with its distinctive proportions and internal 'street', has directly influenced the art presented within it. The site is located at 8 esplanade Andry-Farcy, in the Bouchayer-Viallet area near the cours Berriat.

Le Magasin des horizons is located in Grenoble, France, at 8 esplanade Andry-Farcy in the Bouchayer-Viallet district. The building is owned by the city of Grenoble. Its website is http://www.magasin-cnac.org. As a national centre for contemporary art and culture, it continues to function as a Kunsthalle-style institution with quarterly rotating exhibitions, though its recent history has been marked by administrative turbulence and debates over its cultural mission.