La Piscine

Located in Roubaix in Lille’s suburbs, La Piscine – Musée d’Art et d’Industrie André Diligent is a museum housed in a former swimming pool complex that offers a unique cultural experience. Its diverse collection includes fine arts, sculpture and applied arts, all displayed amidst the elegant architecture of the renovated Art Deco building.

The museum is housed in an Art Deco-style former swimming pool complex that was built between 1927 and 1932. However, its origins date back to 1835 when the city’s textile mills created an archive of textile designs, which later became the basis of a local museum that opened in 1865. The Second World War forced that museum to close its doors in 1940 and the remnants of this collection, along with a donation from the Musée d’Orsay, formed the foundation of this museum, which opened to the public in 2001.

What to see at La Piscine

For many visitors, the museum’s main attraction is its unique setting within a former Art Deco swimming pool complex. While the L’Institut du monde arabe in nearby Tourcoing is also housed in an historic swimming pool complex, La Piscine fully embraces the swimming pool theme, which leads to a stunning interior with artworks reflected in the original swimming pool.

The museum houses an extensive collection of fine arts, sculpture and applied arts, spanning various periods and styles. Visitors can explore galleries filled with paintings, ceramics, textiles and decorative arts, showcasing both local and international artists.

Notable highlights include works by renowned artists such as Camille Claudel, Pablo Picasso and Auguste Rodin.

Temporary exhibitions at La Piscine

In addition to its permanent collection, La Piscine hosts a programme of temporary exhibitions.

Current and planned exhibitions include:

Eugène Dodeigne (1923–2015): A Retrospective II
Eugène Dodeigne: Une rétrospective II
The exhibition (until 12 January 2025) features nearly 200 works by Eugène Dodeigne, including many previously unseen or rarely displayed. Initially set for 2020 at La Piscine, the retrospective was postponed due to the pandemic and is now rescheduled with a new presentation. This showcase aims to reassess Dodeigne’s role in 20th-century French art. Known for his work in stone and other materials, Dodeigne’s diverse practice spanned sculpture, drawing, painting and design. The exhibition seeks to reevaluate his contributions and the varied nature of his work.

Dodeigne, the photographer: A donation to La Piscine
Dodeigne photographe
Running alongside Eugène Dodeigne’s Retrospective II exhibition, this exhibition (until 12 January 2025) showcases Eugène Dodeigne’s photography. Active in photography throughout his career, Dodeigne amassed over 2,000 images, including those compiled in Chant de Pierres (1981) with his daughter Claire. His work, noted for its simplicity, includes detailed shots of his sculptures in various settings and seasons, reflecting his approach to integrating art with its environment.

Expressions of Matter: Faces of a Collection
Les expressions de la matière : visages d’une collection
The exhibition (until 12 January 2025), presents a historic donation of 61 works. This donation includes pieces by Eugène Dodeigne, Jean Roulland, Pierre Hennebelle, Marie-Christine Remmery, Marc Ronet and Arthur Van Hecke, enriching the museum’s collection of Roubaix Group artists. It also features expressionist ceramics by Pierre Amourette, enhancing the museum’s focus on contemporary clay work. The donation highlights the ongoing commitment to the region’s artistic heritage.

Tailors of Volumes
Tailleurs de volumes
This exhibition (until 12 January 2025) explores the parallels between sculptors and fashion designers. Both transform raw materials into new forms, whether through sculpting or fashion techniques like pleats and gathers. This display features garments from the museum’s collection by Jean-Paul Gaultier, Comme des Garçons and Popy Moreni, highlighting the artistic aspects of fashion.

Rodin / Bourdelle: Body to Body
Rodin / Bourdelle : corps à corps
The Rodin / Bourdelle exhibition (1 March–1 June 2025) explores the artistic relationship between Antoine Bourdelle and Auguste Rodin. Despite their differing approaches, their careers were closely linked through mutual support and influence. Featuring over 170 works, including sculptures, drawings and photographs, the display highlights their shared themes and individual contributions to modern sculpture.

Elsa Sahal: Pool Dance
The exhibition, from Saturday (1 March–1 June 2025) showcases Elsa Sahal’s work, reflecting her engagement with ceramic sculpture. Trained by Georges Jeanclos and Erik Dietman, Sahal focuses on the body, exploring its forms through clay. Her series Pool Dance (initiated in 2015) draws inspiration from both contemporary dance and the early 20th-century works of Auguste Rodin. The display highlights her unique approach to combining figurative elements with freedom of expression.

Topsy Turvy
Sens dessus dessous
The Topsy Turvy exhibition (1 March–8 June 2025) explores the history of unconventional dress through various periods. Featuring objects from La Piscine’s collection, it highlights the evolution from Marie-Antoinette’s scandalous portrait in a muslin dress to modern trends like the peekaboo effect of the 2000s. The display complements Elsa Sahal’s ceramic works, reflecting on how fashion challenges conventions of modesty and decorum.

Agnès b.: We love graffiti!!
Agnès b. on aime le graff!!
The exhibition (28 June–7 September 2025) highlights graffiti as an art form rather than pollution, as noted by agnès b. Roubaix, known for its street art, will showcase graffiti’s evolution through a collaboration with URBX. This display features works from agnès b.’s collection and includes contributions from prominent graffiti artists. It reflects the artist’s long-standing support for graffiti, which she has promoted since the 1980s.

Mahjoub Ben Bella (1946–2020), Ceramicist
The exhibition (28 June–28 September 2025) showcases the work of Franco-Algerian ceramicist Mahjoub Ben Bella. Known for his vibrant abstract ceramics and public art, Ben Bella’s pieces have long formed part of La Piscine’s collection. Recent additions, including ceramics from the Masse Fourmaintraux factory, come from donations by his family.

Chatty clothes
Vêtements bavards
Mahjoub Ben Bella (1946–2020) was an artist who based his practice in Tourcoing, inspired by both the culture of northern France and his Algerian heritage, reflected in his use of Arabic calligraphy. His work crossed disciplines, including a collaboration with La Redoute and Belgian designer Souad Feriani. The exhibition (28 June–28 September 2025) explores how clothing has long served as a medium for text, highlighting garments adorned with words in the museum’s summer display.

Visiting La Piscine

La Piscine is in Roubaix in Lille’s suburbs, around 11km northeast of the centre of Lille. Although out in the suburbs, it is well served by public transport and it is located midway between Gare Jean-Lebas and Roubaix Grand Place metro stations, which are both around an eight-minute walk away.

The museum is open Tuesday to Sunday (it is closed on Mondays). The admission fee varies depending on whether temporary exhibitions are running. However, entry is free of charge with either la C’ART or the Lille City Pass.

Visitor facilities include a gift shop and a cafe run by Lille’s iconic Maison Méert, which features a large terrace overlooking a garden.

Allow 2–3 hours for your visit.

23, rue de l’Espérance, 59100 Roubaix
Metro Gare Jean-Lebas (line 2), Roubaix Grand-Place (line 2)
Website www.roubaix-lapiscine.com
Admission €9 (€11 during temporary exhibitions), students €6 (€9 during temporary exhibitions), children (under 18) free, free with la C’ART, free with the Lille City Pass
Open Tue–Thu 11am–6pm, Fri 11am–8pm, Sat–Sun 1pm–6pm