Museum of Fine Arts of Lyon

In 1801, Lyon was selected as one of fifteen cities to receive state museums outside Paris, receiving the largest allocation of items with 110 paintings sent between 1803 and 1811. These works, seized during the Revolution and Napoleonic conquests, formed the museum's original core and included masterpieces by 16th-century Venetian painters like Tintoretto and Veronese, as well as 17th-century French masters such as Philippe de Champaigne and Charles Le Brun. Flemish painters like Rubens and Jordaens were also included to inspire local silk designers.

Early acquisitions were further bolstered by works from the Louvre, including The Adoration of the Magi by Rubens and The Circumcision by Le Guerchin, alongside purchases like St. Francis by Zurbaran.

The Department of Paintings presents a comprehensive panorama of European art from the 12th century to the present day, arranged chronologically across 35 rooms. A unique 'flower room' was created in 1815 to provide models for Lyon's silk industry designers, featuring 17th-century Nordic and French works. The museum was a pioneer in France for acquiring Impressionist works, purchasing a painting by Paul Gauguin as early as 1913, and building a significant collection of works by Renoir, Manet, and Monet.

The collection highlights include major 17th-century Italian and French art, 19th-century masterpieces, and modern works, with specific notable pieces such as Corneille de Lyon's Portrait of a Man and works by Nicolas Poussin, Fragonard, and Ingres.

The museum's architecture reflects centuries of modification, with significant enhancements made by architect R. Dardel in 1834, who added sumptuous décor now visible in the Medal Room. Architect A. Hirsch later restructured the south wing to display preparatory drawings for the Pantheon in Paris by P. Chenavard. The monumental staircase, decorated between 1876 and 1891, features monumental compositions by Pierre Puvis de Chavannes, including The Sacred Woods, Dear to Art and the Muses.

The former cloister has been transformed into a municipal garden in the center of the town, decorated with 19th-century statues, while the deconsecrated church now exhibits sculptures from the 19th and early 20th centuries.

The museum's archaeological collections are extensive, featuring a prominent display of sarcophagi and a dedicated room for the 6th-century BC marble Greek Kore statue. The Egyptian department displays 600 works across nine rooms in a thematic sequence, including cylinder seals, clay tablets, and bas-reliefs. Roman sculpture is presented across several rooms, showcasing marble statues such as a torso of Venus and a child on a cockerel, alongside small bronze figurines of gods like Mercury, Mars, and Venus from the Roman Pantheon.

The collection also includes works from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, such as a sculpted group of The Announcement to Mary, reflecting an ambitious acquisition policy that spanned from antiquity to Islamic art.

The museum houses the second-largest 'médaillier' (coin and medal collection) in France after Paris, containing nearly 50,000 coins, medals, seals, and related objects. This collection has held a prominent place in the European numismatic world since its inception in the 19th century and includes significant discoveries such as the treasuries of the Terreaux and the Célestins. The Department of Works on Paper, created at the start of the 19th century, contains over 8,000 items including drawings, prints, engravings, and watercolors.

These works are based on line rather than color and represent a vast array of artistic production from the Middle Ages through the 20th century.

Following World War II, the museum enriched its resources through retrospectives of modern artists like Picasso and Matisse, leading to major acquisitions such as Portrait of an Athlete by M. Larionov. The 1990s renovation project, led by curator Philippe Durey and architects P.C. Dubois and J.M. Wilmotte, modernized the facility while preserving its historical integrity. A prestigious collection from J. Delubac, including Woman Seated on the Beach by Picasso, was added in 1997, further strengthening the museum's contemporary holdings.

The institution continues to grow through an active acquisition policy that seeks to represent absent artists while underscoring the distinctive features of its diverse collections, reflecting its role as a major cultural center in Lyon.