LaM – Lille Métropole Musée d'art moderne, d'art contemporain et d'art brut

About the museum

The history of the LaM begins with the collector Roger Dutilleul (1872–1956), one of the first to buy works by Modigliani, Klee, Miró, Picasso and Braque. His nephew Jean Masurel inherited a large part of the collection in 1956. In the early 1970s he judged it too important to remain private and, in 1979, he and his wife Geneviève donated 186 works to the Communauté urbaine de Lille, then 36 more in 1986.

To house this donation, the architect Roland Simounet, a leading figure of French modernist architecture, designed the museum in Villeneuve-d'Ascq. It opened in 1983; the building is designed on a human scale, in dialogue with its garden, and is listed as a historic monument.

In 1999 the donation of L'Aracine, an association founded in 1982 by three collectors, brought several thousand Art Brut works, including pieces by Adolf Wölfli, Aloïse Corbaz and Auguste Forestier. This collection makes the museum one of the leading European institutions devoted to Art Brut. The architect Manuelle Gautrand then designed a contemporary extension, opened in 2010, and the museum became the LaM.

After eighteen months of works, the LaM reopened in February 2026 with an exhibition on Kandinsky, followed by the new display of its collection, titled Obsession.

Highlights

• Masurel donation with works by Modigliani, Picasso, Braque and Miró
• Art Brut collection from L'Aracine, among the most important in Europe
• The “Obsession” display, which brings modern art, Art Brut and contemporary art into dialogue
• Free-access sculpture garden with works by Calder, Picasso, Lipchitz and Deacon
• Architecture by Roland Simounet and extension by Manuelle Gautrand

Permanent exhibition

• Obsession – A new display of the collection, exploring repetition and creative intensity in the 20th and 21st centuries by bringing modern art, Art Brut and contemporary art into dialogue.

Founded

1983

Director

Sébastien Faucon

Visitors per year

approx. 268,655

Admission & discounts

Free admission: First Sunday of the month for the permanent collection (temporary exhibition at reduced rate); free evening openings on the first Wednesday of the month; free from 14:00 on Friday afternoons for people aged 65 and over

The ticket gives access to the temporary exhibition and the collection display. Holders of the C'Art, a City Pass or a professional card collect their ticket at the museum box office.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

Companions are admitted free of charge; reserved parking spaces near the museum, adapted restrooms, a box office counter at an accessible height; wheelchairs and folding stools are lent. Staff are trained to welcome visitors with disabilities, and guide dogs are allowed. The reserved parking spaces are located in front of the roundabout on the Allée du Musée, opposite the entrance pavilion.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide

Family workshops for children aged 4 to 10 (1 hour 30 minutes, materials provided), family flash tours and a card game for children. Admission is free for under-26s, and the sculpture garden is free to enter.

Getting there & parking

By car, take the Paris–Ghent motorway (A1/A22/N227), exit 5 or 6, Flers / Château / Musée d'art moderne. The main entrance is below car park P8. Bicycle parking at the park entrance.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Restaurant
• Museum shop

The Pigments restaurant on the first floor was designed with chef Florent Ladeyn and overlooks the sculpture garden. Pigments Café is in the entrance hall, with a terrace, and Pigments Jardin is a summer guinguette (open-air café) in the park. A bookshop and museum shop complete the offer.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Corporate events

Six spaces can be hired for seminars, management meetings, cocktails or garden parties, about 15 minutes by car from Lille.

Plan your visit