A Very Pleasant Rainy Day Visit to the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon

One of the things we like best about Lyon is that there is always something to do or see – even on rainy, dismal days.  May 13^th was one of those days so we decided to go to one of our favorite indoor places, the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon.

The front of the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon
from Place Terreaux

The museum itself was founded in 1801, but the building it is in was once the Benedictine Abbey of the “Dames Nobles de Saint-Pierre.”  The building was totally renovated in the 17^th century so that these daughters of nobility would have surroundings similar to those to which they were accustomed.  Remnants of Roman buildings have also been found on the site.  The museum covers 7000 m² (over 75,000 ft²⁾ and is four-sided with lovely garden in the center complete with sculptures by Rodin, Bourdelle, and others.  Truly an impressive setting!

A shot of the museum garden

The permanent exhibitions include everything from antique art and objects from ancient Egypt to more modern works by Rubens, Rembrandt, Renoir, Monet, Van Gogh, Gauguin, Picasso, Chagall, Matisse, etc.  In fact it was here that we saw “The Adoration of the Magi.”  A totally amazing permanent collection!

But, this time we came to see a special exhibition titled, “Autoportraits de Rembrandt au Selfie.” The exhibition contains over 130 works from three major European museums.  The works cover the time from the Renaissance period up to the 21st century and include paintings, drawings, prints, sculptures, photographs and videos.  It is absolutely fascinating to see how artists saw themselves and also what was going on around them. The museum arranged the exhibit in seven different sections:

^·          the artist's gaze
^·          the artist in his world (as a nobleman, for instance)
^·          the artist at work
^·          the artist with his peers
^·          role-play (in this area we were given clues to where the artist had included himself in various settings – as a shepherd in the manger scene, for instance)

^·        the artist in his time

^·          the artist's body.


Can you find Rembrandt in this painting?
He's just behind St. Steven.



We definitely had some favorites.  It was fascinating to see how Rembrandt saw himself change as he aged, for instance.  We were impressed with the amazing work done by artists while still in their teens.  And, we were humbled by the number of artists we had never heard of but whose work we liked.

One of Rembrandt's later self-portraits

When we had finished going through the exhibit, we felt like the little boy in school in the “Far Side” cartoon who asked if he might be excused because his brain was full.  It was really a lot to take in and think about and discuss.  It kept us busy on the bus ride back to our apartment and over glasses of wine that evening!

So when (notice we aren’t saying “if”) you visit Lyon, be sure to carve out some time to visit the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon.  And, be prepared to go away with a very full brain!