Musée urbain Tony Garnier, Open-air museum in 8th arrondissement, Lyon, France
The Musée urbain Tony Garnier is an open-air museum in the États-Unis neighborhood displaying about 25 large murals painted across residential building walls. The artworks illustrate ideas about architecture, housing, and urban design.
Architect Tony Garnier designed this housing complex starting in the 1920s as an affordable housing project under Mayor Edouard Herriot. The development grew into a model for modern, low-cost residential living.
The murals on the walls represent views on urban living from artists around the world, including Egypt, India, and Russia. These international contributions show different ways people think about housing and city life.
The open-air museum is free to explore by walking through the neighborhood streets and viewing the murals at your own pace. A guided tour of a restored 1930s apartment provides insight into how people lived in this housing project.
A furnished apartment from the 1930s remains preserved in the complex, showing how original residents actually lived with period furnishings. This living space offers a direct sense of daily life in this experimental housing development.
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