Can you tell us a little about the Lyon Fine Art Museum?

This is one of the largest fine art museums in France, with an incredibly diverse collection including numerous masterpieces. When it comes to painters we should mention Véronèse, Poussin, Rubens, but also artists from the 19th and 20th centuries such as Monet, Gauguin, Picasso or Bacon. The museum displays 5 major collections: sculptures in the chapel, antiques, the objets d'art department, the medals department which has 50,000 items and the painting department with exhibits ranging from the 15th to 20th centuries.

What is the best way to discover the museum?

At the Fine Art Museum we propose a huge choice of tours to suit all tastes and audiences!

On the first Friday of each month we organise a themed tour during the evening, on Sunday mornings you can visit the museum as a family, with a fun and light-hearted presentation of the works, andat 3PM we have organised a 1 ½ hour discovery tour covering either the “essential” exhibits or organised on a thematic basis. We also organise special weekends linked to major cultural events such as the Fête des Lumières (Festival of lights), the Nuit des musées (Museums Evening) the Printemps des musées (Museum Spring Season) or tours based on a combined approach, with botanists, scientists and poets. Between workshops, special events and temporary exhibitions, there is always something new to discover! And whatever you do don't miss the garden, a small haven of peace in the city centre, which is very popular with the people of Lyon.

What's your favourite place in the museum?

I love the sculpture chapel, it is a beautiful room. This former church is a reminder of the history of the museum, previously a Benedictine abbey. This magical area is truly monumental while also providing a chance to discover the sculptures from a more intimate angle, too. You can walk around them, examine the tool-marks on them and even see the artist's thumbprints in the material in the case of Rodin's Eve. Here, you can really communicate with  the exhibits…