For the European Heritage Days 2025, Galerie Françoise Besson—a key player in Lyon’s art scene for over twenty years—envisioned an off-site exhibition. In collaboration with Thierry Besson, our partner, this exhibition was held over a weekend in an exceptional setting: Les Érables, a masterpiece by Jean Dubuisson.
An architectural and landscape walk, organized as part of the European Heritage Days, allowed the public to discover—or rediscover—this iconic building in Lyon’s Duchère district, from its surroundings to its rooftop, including a model apartment. This remarkable site is a historic milestone in the 20th-century architectural utopia, where housing and creativity intersect to reimagine the city.
Presented in the lobby, the exhibition “PAN GU 盘古: THE INITIAL INFINI” by artist Xiaojun Song, represented by Galerie Françoise Besson, invited visitors to explore a sensitive and poetic work inspired by Chinese cosmological legends. The artist examines fragility and cultural resonance through creations where Chinese ink serves as both a tool and a symbol of identity. Her introspective and universal approach finds a singular echo in this history-laden space, where light and architecture engage in dialogue with the artworks, offering visitors a contemplative and sensory experience.
This initiative, led by Thierry Besson, reflects the Galerie Françoise Besson’s commitment to bridging contemporary creation and heritage, while highlighting Architecture de Collection’s cultural approach to architecture. By combining an artist’s exhibition with the celebration of a remarkable building, this event renews our experience of urban space, with art serving as a medium for analysis, active memory, and future projection.
An architect of the Trente Glorieuses : Jean Dubuisson
The Les Érables building, constructed in 1967 by Jean Dubuisson, is a significant project in modern architecture, labeled “Remarkable Contemporary Architecture.” With its 18 floors, façade grid, and mosaics, it embodies the hygienist and social ideals of the Trente Glorieuses, offering a quality of living that balances light permeability and communal life.
Jean Dubuisson (1914–2011), a prolific builder of large housing complexes in the 1950s and 1960s, was one of the leading architects of the Trente Glorieuses. He brought a distinctive style and recognized quality of living to residential buildings, both in Paris and its suburbs. His works include numerous housing projects, from social housing like the “La Caravelle” block in Villeneuve-la-Garenne (1959–1968) to upscale developments such as the SHAPE Village in Saint-Germain-en-Laye (1951), built for the Allied Forces’ headquarters. He also designed iconic buildings in Paris, including the two residential towers of the Maine-Montparnasse project (1966) and the Musée des Arts et Traditions Populaires (1969).
© Galerie Françoise Besson
© Photos : Thierry Besson
© Text : Architecture de Collection
