Échirolles, Isère Département, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France

🇫🇷 Échirolles is a commune in the Isère department in south-eastern France. Part of the Grenoble urban unit (agglomeration), it is the second-largest suburb of the city of Grenoble, which is immediately to its north.

History A former industrial village had the majority of its inhabitants work in the viscose factories, a fabric that was invented in Échirolles in 1884 by the French scientist and industrial Hilaire de Chardonnet, before becoming universally famous. The process for manufacturing viscose was then patented by three British scientists, Charles Frederick Cross, Edward John Bevan and Clayton Beadle, in 1891.

Musée Géo-Charles The Musée Géo-Charles is a museum located in Échirolles, near Grenoble, France.

The museum is home to some of the personal collection of the poet Géo-Charles. It was established by the city of Échirolles in 1982 and was installed in an old mansion that belonged to the Société de la Viscose.

The museum houses the collections and archives received as a gift from Lucienne Géo-Charles, from the personal collection of her husband. These collections particularly show the works of the first half of the 20th century, the School of Paris. There are paintings, sculptures, prints of artists who were close to Géo-Charles, including André Derain, Delaunay, Fernand Léger and Frans Masereel. Most of the works presented are related to sports as subjects of art.

There are often temporary exhibitions. Several developments of the museum are planned.