In Lyon, the spectacle of everyday life

William Dowell - GlobalPost October 11, 2009 00:01 ET

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The globalization of art

At the Lyon Biennale, international artists make us feel uncomfortable.

By William Dowell - GlobalPost
Published: October 11, 2009 08:26 ET

LYON, France — A biennale fulfills the same function on the contemporary art scene that the Cannes Film Festival does for cinema. If successful, it can put a city on the map, and add stature and a veneer of credibility that is hard to match.

Venice launched the first biennale with a summer-long festival of art exhibitions in the 1930s. Now a growing number of cities from Istanbul...

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