La Biennale de Lyon announces the
appointment of Hélia Paukner as Artistic
Director of the Contemporary Art Biennale.
She succeeds Isabelle Bertolotti,
who has held the position since 2018.
Hélia Paukner will also become Director
of macLYON – Lyon’s Museum of Contemporary
Art, continuing the longstanding
relationship between the two institutions.
This dual appointment marks a
new chapter for the Lyon Contemporary
Art Biennale, a major event on the
international art scene that has
championed contemporary artistic
creation in France and abroad for
nearly forty years.
Selected following a recruitment process
led by the City of Lyon, in partnership with
the French Ministry of Culture, the Métropole
de Lyon and La Biennale de Lyon,
Hélia Paukner will take up her roles on
1 February 2027.
A career spanning contemporary art
and international collaboration!
Hélia Paukner brings extensive knowledge
of the French art scene and wide-ranging
international networks. Her career reflects
a sustained commitment to contemporary
art, curatorial practice and the development
of artistic collaborations.
Having previously served as research
assistant to the director at the Musée des
Beaux-Arts de Lyon, she went on to develop
her expertise within a range of institutions
and programmes supporting artistic
creation. She has served on selection
panels for art schools and artist residencies,
and contributed to the allocation of
artistic creation grants awarded by the
Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur Regional
Directorate of Cultural Affairs (DRAC)
between 2020 and 2025.
Since 2019, she has served as Curator
and Head of Contemporary Art at Mucem
– the Museum of European and Mediterranean
Civilisations, a national museum
of cultural anthropology in Marseille that
places social issues and contemporary art
at the heart of its mission.
A new perspective for the Contemporary
Art Biennale!
Hélia Paukner’s vision combines artistic
excellence, an international outlook and
strong local roots.
Her experience of cultural collaboration
and international artistic networks will be
an asset in supporting the development
of the Lyon Contemporary Art Biennale,
strengthening exchanges between art
scenes and fostering the circulation of
artists, artworks and knowledge.
This appointment reflects a commitment
to sustaining the close ties between the
Biennale and macLYON, two complementary
institutions that contribute to the vitality
of contemporary art in the Lyon area
and its international profile.
Engaging diverse audiences, sharing
knowledge and developing new forms of
artistic collaboration will also be central to
this new chapter.
