Paris – September 10, 2026 -- The 18th Lyon Biennale – Contemporary Art will hold two professional preview days on September 17 and 18, 2026, ahead of a public opening spanning 11 venues across Lyon and its metropolitan area until December 13, 2026.
Accreditation deadline set for September 16 as biennale targets global art professionals
Artists, curators, gallerists, museum directors, collectors and professionals from production, mediation, communications and research sectors can apply for accreditation through Wednesday, September 16, 2026. Accreditation grants exclusive access to exhibition venues during the two preview days, entry to the opening reception at Les Grandes Locos on September 18, and access to all Biennale venues during the first two public days on September 19 and 20.
Biennale spans 120 artists and 400 works across 11 sites, including industrial and transit spaces
Titled "Passer d'un rêve à l'autre / To pass from one dream to another," the 18th edition is directed by Isabelle Bertolotti and curated by Catherine Nichols. Venues include Les Grandes Locos, macLYON, the Musée des Tissus et des Arts décoratifs, the Musée des Confluences, Fondation Bullukian, a metro station at Gare Part-Dieu, and a car park at LPA Saint-Antoine. Three sites — Les Grandes Locos, macLYON and the Musée des Tissus — serve as principal anchors, addressing themes of production, existence and exchange respectively.
Public ticketing offers Biennale Pass at €20 through September 18, a €5 discount
Advance sales for the Biennale Pass run until September 18 at €20, compared with the standard €25 price. Public opening begins September 19 and runs through December 13, 2026.
Artprice partners with the event, launching a separate 1,800-page open-access AI text
Artprice by Artmarket and La Demeure du Chaos/Abode of Chaos are partnering with the Biennale. Separately, Artprice founder Thierry Ehrmann released "Dialogue Between a Thinker and AI," an 1,800-page open-access typescript addressing memory, art, humanism and artificial intelligence, described as a text to be entered and shared rather than a commercial product.