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Origin and history

The Musée des Tissues et des Arts Décoratifs de Lyon has its origins in the Musée d'Art et d'Industrie, created in 1864 by the Lyon Chamber of Commerce, inspired by the universal exhibitions. The project aimed to boost Lyon textile production by providing inspiration and artistic and technical education. In 1890, the museum specialized in fabrics, becoming a historical conservatory of textile art, before settling in 1946 in the Villeroy Hotel, former residence of the Governor of Lyonnais in the 18th century.

The collections, enriched by donations, bequests and acquisitions, cover 4,000 years of textile history, from Pharaonic Egypt to the present day, with major pieces from East and West. The Museum of Decorative Arts, inaugurated in 1925 in the Hotel de Lacroix-Laval (work by Jacques-Germain Soufflot), completes this heritage with objects of cabinetmaking, goldsmith's and ceramics from the 17th and 18th centuries. The two museums, labeled Musées de France, form a unique ensemble in the heart of Lyon.

In 2016, faced with financial difficulties, the museum was saved thanks to the intervention of the Region Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, which acquires private hotels for a symbolic euro. An ambitious renovation project, entrusted to architect Rudy Ricciotti, was launched in 2021 to modernize the spaces and preserve this exceptional heritage. The museum, closed to the public since 2021, prepares its reopening with a new museum trail and spaces dedicated to research and contemporary creation.

The Lacroix-Laval hotel, which has been a historic monument since 1957, has been carefully restored to preserve its eighteenth century atmosphere, including the renovation of facades, roofs and interiors. The work aims to adapt the building to accessibility standards while preserving its historic character. This project is part of a desire to strengthen the museum's international reach, in conjunction with industrial and scientific actors in textiles.

The museum also houses a documentation centre of 30,000 books, a digital image bank and a workshop for restoration of ancient textiles, a pioneer in France. These resources make it an essential research centre, associated with the International Centre for the Study of Ancient Textiles (CIETA). The collections, organized in rotations to preserve them, illustrate the evolution of techniques and styles, from antiquity to contemporary creations, with a central place given to the Lyon silk.

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