The State backed the creation of the museum

The Région Rhone-Alpes, in which there are a large number of museographic establishments that are very active in relation to modern and contemporary art, did not, however, have a contemporary art museum in the region's capital, before 1995. It was important to complete this network, on the main road from Saint-Etienne to Grenoble, which can be considered a real reference on a national and international level.

The Ministry for Culture collaborated closely on this building project, providing through the Direction des Musées de France (DMF – French Museums Board) and the Direction Régionale des Affaires Culturelles (DRAC – Regional Board of Cultural Affairs), the scientific and technical aid of its departments, as well as State financial participation in the architectural work, the museography, the enrichment and restoration of the collections and their cultural dissemination.

The building of this new museum was supervised by the DMF (General supervision of museums and the department of architecture, museogropahy and facilities), as well as by the DRAC Rhone-Alpes.
27% of the project was financed by the State (MF 20, M€ 3.05)

In order to enable the creation of a collection of contemporary art, the State also actively supported a policy of original acquisitions.
This policy was often the fruit of the production of works of art for temporary exhibitions.

A large number of deposits made by the Fonds National d’Art Contemporain (FNAC – National Contemporary Art Fund) still show State aid in this enrichment policy.