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Closed since late 2024 for major renovations led by Lille Metropole with support from the Département du Nord, the LaM (Museum of Modern Art, Contemporary Art, and Outsider Art (Art brut) in Villeneuve d'Ascq) reopened its doors on February 20.
An ambitious renovation
Created in 1983 on the initiative of two collectors, Roger Dutilleul and Jean Masurel, the museum has undergone major renovation work to meet environmental and conservation challenges. Specifically, this involved renovating the facades and roofs and replacing the windows of the building designed by architect Roland Simounet in 1983. Some roofs have also been converted and planted with vegetation to create a more pleasant and welcoming environment.
The aim of the museum's 18-month renovation was to improve accessibility, visitor comfort, and the visibility of the museum and its grounds, while also improving the buildings' energy efficiency.
Thanks to the renovation the museum is more welcoming and the space has been designed not simply as a cultural venue, but as a true living space.
The renovation project in figures:
7,000 m² of roofs renovated
2,000 m² of park space restored
€17.4 million invested by Lille Metropole in the restoration (with contributions from the French government, the European Union, and the Nord department)
A reopening full of new features
This reopening comes with several new features. Michelin-starred chef Florent Ladeyn will open Pigments, the museum's new restaurant, and Pigments Café, a café-estaminet offering a panoramic view of the sculpture garden.
Inside the museum, the furniture has also be replaced. Designed by Clémence Seilles, this new furniture “creates areas for relaxation and socializing, particularly in the lobby, which has been transformed into a public square, and in the Salon Simounet, at the heart of the permanent collection galleries,” explains the LaM in a press release.
The exterior of the museum is also getting a facelift: the driveway has been restored, the lighting has been redesigned, and a sculpture by Dan Graham, a major figure in minimalism and conceptual art, will be added to the Bayonne Pavilion sculpture trail, an open-air exhibition featuring 11 sculptures dotted throughout the museum grounds.
The reopening exhibition
For its reopening, the LaM is partnering with the Centre Pompidou in Paris for an exhibition dedicated to Wassily Kandinsky. Entitled Kandinsky and Images, it focuses on a little-explored aspect of the painter's work: the crucial role of images in his creative process. The exhibition will be open until June 14.
A new program dedicated to young artists
Finally, in spring 2026, the LaM will launch Raw, “a program entirely dedicated to young contemporary artists. Designed to support the production of new works, Raw will accompany young artists in ambitious projects in the form of monographic exhibitions,” the museum explains in a press release. This program will provide an opportunity for young emerging artists to present their work. The first artist to be featured will be a young Madagascan, Jessy Razafimandimby, born in 1995, who incorporates painting, sculpture, and drawing into immersive installations created by assembling found objects.
More good news: in terms of visitors and admission fees, the museum will be free for those under 26 and over 65 on Friday afternoons.
