the Lyon Fabric Museum is renovating its collections before reopening in 2029

Behind a yellowish facade in the suburbs of Saint-Étienne hides an Ali Baba’s cave. This is where the Museum of Fabrics and Decorative Arts of Lyon deploys its temporary reserves.

Threatened with disappearance and taken over by the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in 2017, it is closed for renovation, which allowed it to launch a “construction site of its collections” rich in 2.5 million pieces, from Egyptian remains to the contemporary creation.

From famous gems to recent gems

In a book published in the fall, the institution relays this extraordinary inventory through 160 treasures, from famous gems to recent nuggets. Its director, Aziza Gril-Mariotte, is enthusiastic: “We are presenting, for example, a dazzling 1900 stained glass window by Lucien Bégule, The legend of the unicorn which we found in pieces in our cellars and refurbished. »

Same happiness for the restorer Lisa-Charlotte Lardeau, who reconstructed an adorned dress from the 18th century whose camisole, forgotten in an envelope, resurfaced from reserves. “More than decorative objects, clothes take us back in time, because they keep the imprint of the living. If I work on a chasuble stained with wax, I imagine a priest officiating near a candle.

A single route for all collections

When the Museum reopens, the collections will be brought together in a single tour. “We will trace the history of taste through fabrics and decorative arts, from Antiquity to the present day, on a global scale, with an oriental tropism,” announces Aziza Gril-Mariotte. Because today, genres are coming together. As in the incredible folded cotton sculptures of Simone Pheulpin or the metal fabrics of Sophie Mallebranche. See you in 2029.