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L'installation "No More Reality" de l'artiste Philippe Parreno sera fermée du 17 au 23 février 2025.

L'installation "No More Reality" de l'artiste Philippe Parreno sera fermée du 17 au 23 février 2025.
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211116-LUMA-PPAYSAGER-ADRIANDEWEERDT-11 - Large
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La Grande Halle, a former SNCF railway workshop renovated by architect Annabelle Selldorf, now hosts exhibitions, cultural events, and artistic installations.
© Adrian Deweerdt

La Grande Halle

A former ironworks, this industrial cathedral was renamed La Grande Halle after its renovation by Moatti–Rivière Architects.

 
Some information and key figures
  • Construction: between 1888 and 1894
  • Total area: 5,000 square meters
  • Height: 17.5 meters
  • Length: 120 meters
  • Width: 40 meters
  • Renovation: in 2007 by Moatti–Rivière Architects, at the initiative of PACA region
  • Use: exhibition space and events.

History and initial purpose

An ironworks typical of industrial architecture

Built between 1888 and 1894, this 5,000-square-meter building is a former ironworks in which steam locomotives were built and repaired. This activity requires powerful means of handling, such as the lifting of locomotive boilers, which explains the building volume (120m long, 40m wide, 17.5m high) and its equipment with bridge cranes.

It is an architecture based on utilitarian principles that give priority to technical and economic requirements over aesthetic research. This building is the largest still standing on the site of the former SNCF workshops.

Building renovation

The building was restored in 2007 by Moatti–Rivière Architects.

The ironworks was bought by the PACA region in the early 2000s. Moatti & Rivière won the architectural competition launched in 2005 and undertook the ambitious rehabilitation of that industrial cathedral with the aim of turning it into a cultural center linked to new technologies in the fields of multimedia creation, digital image, and the virtual.

The transformation of the building, which was completed in 2007, included the replacement of the façade with a glass wall covered with a 52-ton steel sheet panel, in a nod to the railway network and history of iron workers. 

Today

La Grande Halle is now one of the historic buildings of the Parc des Ateliers operated by LUMA Arles.

For several years now, this unconditioned, covered hall has been hosting LUMA Arles’ exhibitions and cultural events in its central nave.

Among other exhibitions, visitors have discovered Jean Prouvé. Architect for Better Days, in 2017–18; Annie Leibovitz Archive Project #1. The Early Years, in 2017; and Rachel Rose’s Enclosure installation, in 2019.

More than 2,000 square meters of solar panels were installed on the southern part of the roof and produce part of the energy needed to run the site.

Pictures of La Grande Halle

2017-05-26_LUMA DAYS-7595
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In 2017, La Grande Halle hosted The Early Years, 1970–1983: Archive Project #1 by artist Annie Leibovitz. Featuring over 2,500 photographs, this retrospective explored the beginnings of the photographer’s career, from her reportage work for Rolling Stone to her iconic portraits of figures from the American counterculture.
© Victor & Simon
2018-05-16_LUMA DAYS-1197
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La Grande Halle is more than just an exhibition space — it also hosts concerts, talks, screenings, gatherings, and a variety of public events year-round.
© Victor & Simon

019_Pipilotti_Rist_-_Sip_my_Ocean_Installation_images_credit-Anna_Kucera_300dpi_30cm
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In 2018, La Grande Halle hosted Pixel Forest, an immersive installation by Swiss artist Pipilotti Rist. Made up of 3,000 LEDs encased in resin shells, the work transformed the space into a luminous, sensory landscape, blurring the lines between image, light, and environment.
© Anna Kucera
2017-10-19_MAISONS PROUVE--11
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A glimpse of the Grande Halle, often nicknamed the "iron cathedral" for its striking metal framework.
The photo shows several of Jean Prouvé’s demountable houses, featured in an exhibition dedicated to his work held between 2017 and 2018.
© Victor & Simon
20190523_LUMADAYS_DAY04_RACHEL ROSE VERNISSAGE_UZ_6188JOANA LUZ-1
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La Grande Halle in 2019, during Enclosure, an exhibition by artist Rachel Rose. Presented as part of LUMA Arles’ program, this immersive installation combined video, sound, and architecture to explore the origins of capitalism through a fictional narrative set in 17th-century England.
© Victor & Simon
2017-10-19_MAISONS PROUVE--2
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During a landmark exhibition at LUMA Arles in 2017–2018, eight of architect Jean Prouvé’s demountable houses were on display. Designed to be functional, transportable, and easy to assemble, these iconic structures reflect the architect’s spirit of social and technical innovation. With its vast, open spaces, La Grande Halle offered an ideal setting for showcasing works of this scale.
© Victor & Simon
2018-05-14_LUMA DAYS-14266
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With its generous proportions and adaptable design, La Grande Halle provides an ideal setting for the presentation of concerts.
© Victor & Simon
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The aluminum claustra of La Grande Halle is inspired by the layout of railway networks and pays tribute to the site's industrial and working-class history. Its openwork pattern creates a dialogue between contemporary architecture and industrial heritage.
© Adrian Deweerdt