The Lyon Biennial was inaugurated in 1991 by the city of Lyon and the ministry of culture, which, in the framework of decentralisation, wanted the French biennial of contemporary art to take place outside Paris. Since then, it has been financed in equal parts by the city and the ministry.
It also enjoys the support of the Rhône-Alpes region.
Since the first of the Lyon Biennials, its artistic directors, Thierry Raspail and Thierry Prat, have been organising the event around a particular theme.