The lovely art museum La Piscine in Roubaix, close to Lille, is set in a former art deco municipal bathhouse, with graceful buildings surrounding a courtyard and garden. Today, the high vaulted swimming pool building still exists, but now it makes an impressive and stunning exhibition space for sculpture from the 19th and 20th centuries. La Piscine’s art collection is equally
impressive and includes works by leading artists from Bonnard to Dufy and Picasso, with many of the paintings and ceramics originating from collections amassed by Lille’s wealthy industrialists. The museum regularly holds excellent international exhibitions of contemporary art and plays an important part in Lille’s cultural life.
