The 18th Lyon Biennale opens in September 2026

The 18th Lyon Biennale – contemporary art will open on 19 September 2026 with an exhibition route spanning 11 venues across Lyon and its metropolitan area, placing contemporary works in museums, former industrial buildings, public spaces, a hotel courtyard and a metro station. Running through 13 December, the edition is expected to bring together 400 works by 120 artists under the title “Passer d'un rêve à l'autre / to pass from one dream to another.”

Professional visitors will get first access during two preview days on 17 and 18 September, before the public opening weekend. Accreditation also includes entry to the opening event at Les Grandes Locos on 18 September at 6:30 p.m., along with access to all exhibition sites on 19 and 20 September.

Applications for professional accreditation remain open until 16 September. The credential is issued individually and is required to enter the sites during the two preview days.

Les Grandes Locos leads a route across Lyon

Les Grandes Locos, macLYON and the Musée des Tissus et des Arts décoratifs will serve as the three main hubs of the 2026 Biennale. The route extends far beyond conventional gallery spaces, using locations that connect Lyon’s cultural institutions with the city’s daily infrastructure.

Among the venues are the Musée d'art contemporain de Lyon, known as macLYON; the Musée des Tissus et des Arts décoratifs; the traboules in the slopes of Croix-Rousse; and the Jardin du Musée des Beaux-Arts. The programme will also reach the IAC – Institut d'art contemporain / Frac Rhône-Alpes, the Musée des Confluences and the Fondation Bullukian.

Other listed locations include LPA Saint-Antoine parking, Metro Line B at Gare Part-Dieu station, and the Cour des Loges, Radisson Collection Hotel. By moving works into transit and public-facing sites, the Biennale would give visitors encounters with contemporary art outside the usual museum itinerary, including spaces used by commuters, hotel guests and passers-by.

The approach places Lyon itself inside the exhibition format. Rather than concentrating the programme in a single fairground or museum complex, visitors will need to navigate different neighbourhoods and types of architecture to see the full presentation.

Preview days combine exhibitions with professional events

The 17 and 18 September preview programme is designed for art-world professionals, with meetings, artist talks, networking sessions and related industry events scheduled at Les Grandes Locos. These sessions will run alongside early access to the exhibition sites.

Bertolotti is leading the artistic direction of the edition, with Nichols serving as invited curator. Bourgeat is listed as the event’s general director. The curatorial title, “To pass from one dream to another,” suggests an exhibition structured around transition, imagination and movement between different states or perspectives, a theme that fits the Biennale’s decision to distribute works across changing urban settings.

The number of participating artists and works points to a large-scale presentation rather than a tightly limited group exhibition. With 120 artists represented by 400 works, the programme will likely require visitors to make choices about how they approach the route, particularly during the opening weekend.

Professional accreditation is intended for individual use, limiting the ability to transfer preview access between colleagues or organisations. The requirement also separates the industry programme from regular public admission, even though accredited attendees retain access during the first two public days.

Early tickets remain available through 18 September

Public visitors can buy a Biennale Pass for €20 during an early-sale period ending on 18 September. The same pass will cost €25 after that date.

The pricing window ends the evening before the Biennale opens to the general public, giving visitors who plan to attend multiple venues a reason to secure access before opening weekend. A single pass matters more for this edition than for an exhibition housed in one building, since the programme is spread across museums and locations that may otherwise require separate planning.

The opening on Saturday, 19 September also coincides with the first of two public access days included in professional accreditation. That overlap should make the first weekend one of the busiest periods of the Biennale, as accredited guests, artists, cultural workers and ticket-holders circulate through the same core venues.

Les Grandes Locos is expected to be a focal point for that activity, given its role as a central exhibition hub and host site for professional events. Its use also continues the Biennale’s interest in adapting large non-museum spaces for contemporary art, placing installations and commissions in settings shaped by Lyon’s industrial past.

A biennale built around movement through the city

The 2026 Lyon Biennale’s 11-site model gives the event a different rhythm from an art fair or a single-venue museum show. Visitors will move between established institutions such as macLYON and the Musée des Confluences, historic settings including the Croix-Rousse traboules, and more unexpected sites such as a station on Metro Line B.

That structure could encourage longer visits and repeated returns over the nearly three-month run. It also creates practical differences between venues: a work encountered in a museum is likely to be framed differently from one installed in a parking facility, garden or transit environment.

The professional office has published an email contact and the telephone number +33 (0)4 27 46 65 67 for accreditation and event enquiries. With the preview days beginning on 17 September and accreditation closing the day before, professional visitors planning to attend will need to complete the process before the final deadline.