Saint-Etienne's image is obviously linked to its 'Verts', its 'cauldron' and the unique fervour of its supporters. And this is true regardless of their team's ups and downs. The lows, like the club's recent descent into Division 2; the highs, like the days of Larqué, Rocheteau, Revelli and Curkovic in the mid-1970s, and Platini, Rep, Lopez and Janvion a few years later. Their European successes are still in the memoryGeoffroy-Guichard has been a favourite stadium not just for the people of Saint-Etienne, but for almost all French people over several generations. So it's hardly surprising that the Geoffroy-Guichard stadium is a must-see place of pilgrimage for tourists and event organisers alike.
But the city also stands out for its cultural dimension. In addition to its theatrical institution, La Comédie, its opera house and its Zenith, designed by Norman Foster, Saint-Etienne has made a name for itself in contemporary art. With a host of galleries and museums offering companies inspirational venues to enhance their events. One of these is a new addition to the metropolis' panoply of Unesco-recognised creative cities: a huge street art museum in a revamped former steelworks.
An overview of the possibilities for giving events an artistic or sporting edge.
Museum of Urban and Street Art (MAUSA)
Almost anything is possible at MAUSA. Just a ten-minute drive from Saint-Etienne and around forty minutes from Lyon, this museum offers a huge playground for private functions, dinners and major business events, with team-building activities based around street art. Opened at the end of May in Saint Chamond, this new venue has immediately established itself as one of the largest museums in France in terms of surface area. A king-size space ofone and a half times the size of the pitch at Geoffroy-Guichard stadium for a ceiling height of more than 15 m.
Recounting the history of a building that housed the navy's steelworks from the end of the 19th century onwards, this is the first time the building has been restored to its former glory.e century, this industrial cathedral is now dedicated to street art. It's a cultural hub open to all, with 2,000 m² of free exhibition space, including two works by Banksy and a monthly wall dedicated to the inventiveness of local artists, as well as a restaurant and shop.
At the same time, 8,000 sq. metres will be devoted to paying exhibitions - albeit at a moderate price of around ten euros - around a theme that will be renewed every six months. To begin with, the NoMad exhibition brings together 25 caravans, each revisited in situ by well-known street artists such as the British Sickboy and Dotmasters, the Belgian Jaune and the French-Colombian Chanoir.
While Saint-Etienne Métropole has invested almost 10 million euros Stanislas Belhomme, who has already set up other museums in heritage sites in eastern France, is behind this private museum project to renovate Hall 7 and breathe new life into it. Street art For example, it has taken over a former barracks at the foot of the Bitche Citadel, as well as the Unesco-listed ramparts of the fortress built by Vauban in Neuf-Brisach. But this MAUSA is undoubtedly thinking further afield.
Internet : mausa.fr
Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MAMC+)
From a distance, the MAMC+ stands out with its black ceramic-covered silhouette, a tribute to the city's mining past. A long square with no load-bearing walls on the inside, it is not only a showcase for modern art, but also a reminder of the city's mining past. the outward appearance of a supermarket. And with good reason, as the building was designed by Didier Guichard, grandson of Casino's founder and the group's resident architect.
Opened in 1987, this was the first museum of contemporary art to be created outside Paris, giving greater space and visibility to the works conserved at the Musée d'Art et d'Industrie, under the leadership of Bernard Ceysson, director of the latter and for a time of the Centre Pompidou. Visit one of the largest collections in France with more than 20,000 works presented in rotation during temporary exhibitions, such as the one devoted to "outsize" paintings, which runs until September 2025. Around a hundred works in all, by Pierre Soulages, Julian Schnabel and Frank Stella in particular, are too large or too fragile to be transported elsewhere during the museum's renovation.
MAMC+ was closed for 18 months to refurbish its rooms before reopening its doors at the end of last year. To complete this programme, the restaurant will be taking a break this summer to overhaul the kitchens, while theauditorium will be renovated, with new ceilings and acoustics. With 164 seats, it can be used during the day - except on Tuesdays, when it is closed - for conferences, conventions or trophy presentations. In the evening, the museum can be made private for dinners 100 guests and cocktails for up to 250 in its entrance hall. All this can be combined for a full day at the heart of contemporary art, with compulsory visit to the museum. This is a sine qua non that will enable groups, until next September, to enjoy retrospectives devoted to two major women artists of the second half of the 20th century.e century, Pierrette Bloch and Charlotte Moth.
Rue Fernand Léger, Saint-Priest-en-Jarez. Internet : mamc.saint-etienne.fr. E-mail : justine.belot@saint-etienne-metropole.fr . Tel.: 04 27 40 55 83
Ceysson & Bénétière Gallery
With offices in Tokyo, Paris, Lyon, Luxembourg, New York and Geneva, Ceysson & Bénétière has its roots in Saint-Etienne. It was founded in 2006 by Loïc Bénétière and François Ceysson, who were joined at the outset by his father Bernard Ceysson, the former director of MAMC+, this contemporary art gallery has spread all over the worldBut it remains attached to its home territory. Changing every two months, its temporary exhibitions focus mainly on artists from the Supports-Surfaces movement, such as Claude Viallat and Noël Dolla, who hijacked media and tools to push the boundaries of creation, but also on artists from the new generation in line with the group's spirit of abstraction.
Next door to the Comédie theatre and the Zenith, but also to many of the companies located in this business park, and with its own car park - a practical detail when it comes to accommodating groups - the gallery hosts corporate events ranging from from cocktail parties for 250 people to conferencesThe gallery has a bistro, which is popular with local professionals at lunchtime. After all, the gallery has a bistro, popular with local professionals at lunchtime, which boasts a fine selection of wines as well as a menu based on local produce.
10 rue des Aciéries. Internet : www.ceyssonbenetiere.com. Tel.: 04 77 33 28 93
Atelier Cail
In the beginning, it was just an artist's studio, that of Etienne Cail, revisiting the orientalism of a Delacroix with today's eyes. The eyes of a man in his thirties, who has gradually transformed a former mechanical engineering factory into his workplace, but also into a place where he can express himself. a workplace in the broadest sense. With offices and a coworking space next to his workshop, then the creation of a large meeting room, followed by a smaller one for meetings of two to four people.
Constantly evolving, this business and design loft is now home to around thirty residents, as well as hosting numerous business events. With around thirty people, but with the possibility of up to 60 or even 80 participants, these days can stretch from morning to night, from breakfast to the cocktail reception, with, at the end of the afternoon, a collaborative painting workshop led by the host or wine tastings, another of his passions.
But to take things further, participants will gradually be invited to cross the streetin the aptly named Bâtiment d'en face. In addition to the old factory, Etienne Cail has taken over a garage to create a larger space entirely dedicated to events. This will also make it possible to extend the offices and coworking facilities in the original location.
This new seminar space will gradually be extended to 900 m² as work progresses in-house, almost like a family business. The first 200 m² room already hosted an event at the end of May. Another room of the same size and a 150 m² rooftop should be added in due course. But the venue also has a few surprises with, accessible via a secret trapdoor, a cellar that can accommodate a dozen people for intimate tastings. Atelier Cail also has a 100 m² flat in Saint-Etienne, which can be used for private dinners or board meetings.
83A rue des Alliés. Internet : www.lateliercail.fr. E-mail : lateliercail@gmail.com. Tel.: 06 02 04 13 76
