If you’re doing a self-guided tour of Paris, you’ll definitely want to visit a few museums. But there are so many museums and exhibitions to see in Paris that you’ll probably want to narrow it down to your favorite artists or interests.
Here are 10 Paris exhibitions for you to choose from if you’ll be visiting the City of Light in 2023!
Manet/Degas, Musée d'Orsay
Until July 23, 2023
The Manet/Degas exhibition focuses on the “fleeting complicity and enduring rivalry of the two giants”. You’ll be able to see works that have never been brought together before. Organized by the Orsay and Orangerie museums in Paris and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the exhibition will be in Paris until the end of July 2023, before moving to the US from September 2023 - January 2024.
Chagall, Paris–New York, Atelier des Lumières
Until January 7, 2024
The "Chagall, Paris–New York" digital art exhibition presents the entire works of the prolific painter during his time living in Paris (his city of choice) and New York, where he lived in exile in the 1940s. In this immersive exhibition, the pictures of Chagall’s marvelous imagination are projected across the walls of the Atelier des Lumières against a background of classical music, klezmer (traditional eastern European Jewish music) or jazz.
Picasso Celebration – The Collection in a New Light, Picasso Museum Paris
Until August 27, 2023
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Pablo Picasso's death, the Musée National Picasso-Paris has partnered with British designer Sir Paul Smith to curate an exceptional exhibition showcasing the museum's collection. Known for his work with color, tailoring, and unusual details, Smith's unique approach to the works invites the public to view them through a contemporary lens and highlights the continuing relevance of Picasso's work in today's world. Through this collaboration, Smith and the museum pay tribute to the legacy of the legendary artist and showcase his masterpieces in a new light.
Smith's and Picasso's shared love of objects, dress, and playfulness is evident throughout the exhibition, giving a fresh take on Picasso's oeuvre. Definitely one to see if you’re visiting Paris this summer!
Matisse - Cahiers d'art, the pivotal 1930s, Orangerie Museum
Until May 29, 2023
In 1930, Matisse took a trip to Tahiti, taking a creative break. This marked a turning point in his artistic career. The exhibition "Matisse. Cahiers d'art, the pivotal 1930s" looks back on this decisive decade. You'll find several exceptional works that are very rarely exhibited in France, including Large Reclining Nude from Baltimore, The Song from Houston, and the 1938 Romanian Blouses series that are kept in various American museums.
Léon Monet, art collector and brother of Claude, Luxembourg Museum
Until July 16, 2023
He might be the forgotten brother of the famous Claude, but Léon played a decisive role in his career. In 1872, when Claude Monet painted Impression, Sunrise, Léon, a color chemist, industrialist, and collector, founded the Société Industrielle de Rouen and decided to actively support his brother and his Impressionist friends.
This marked the beginning of a remarkable collection of modern art. The exhibition at the Musée du Luxembourg currently brings together around a hundred works of art, including paintings and drawings by Monet, Morisot, Sisley, Pissarro, and Renoir, as well as fabric samples, Japanese prints, and various family photographs.
Basquiat x Warhol - Painting Four Hands, Fondation Louis Vuitton
Until August 28, 2023
The "Basquiat x Warhol - Painting Four Hands" exhibition showing at the Fondation Louis Vuitton brings together 300 works and documents, including some 80 co-signed canvases by the two artists. It showcases their almost daily dialogue between 1984 to 1985, and showcases the art scene of downtown New York in the 80s.
Ramses the Great and the Gold of the Pharaohs, Grande Halle de La Villette
Until September 6, 2023
If you’re interested in Ancient Egypt, this exhibition is a must-see. The ‘Ramses the Great and the Gold of the Pharaohs’ exhibition showcases over 170 objects from the era of the Ramesside pharaohs, including the sarcophagus of the Egyptian pharaoh Ramses II.
This is the first time the sarcophagus has left Egypt since it was last presented to the French public 45 years ago, and after its time in Paris it will be exhibited in other countries.
1997 Fashion Big Bang - Palais Galliera, Fashion Museum
Until July 16, 2023
The Palais Galliera Fashion Museum presents "1997 Fashion Big Bang," an exhibition that retraces an “explosive” year in fashion history. It features collections from iconic designers such as Jean Paul Gaultier and Thierry Mugler, and covers the entry of British designers into historic French houses.
Philippe Starck – Paris is Pataphysical, Carnavalet Museum
Until August 29, 2023
The Carnavalet Museum features an exhibition called "Philippe Starck – Paris is Pataphysical*," a phantasmagorical exploration of Paris that travels through public spaces, tourist attractions
(the Eiffel Tower, the Saint-Martin canal, the Parc de la Villette), places representing power (the Palais de l’Élysée), and spaces for socializing (the Bains-Douches nightclub, the Caffè Stern restaurant, etc.).
The exhibition uses imaginary and offbeat explanations of pataphysics to pay tribute to the capital and its influence on the creations of designer Philippe Starck.
*pataphysical: an ‘intricate and whimsical nonsense intended as a parody of science’ (Merriam Webster)
Before the Storm, Bourse de Commerce
Until September 11, 2023
"Avant l'orage" (Before the Storm) exhibition at the Bourse de Commerce features installations and works of art by nearly twenty artists. Against the backdrop of climate change, the exhibition questions our relationship to nature, inviting visitors to immerse themselves in unstable landscapes.
This exhibition will take place in two stages, opening with a monumental and original installation by Danh Vo. The Rotunde space will then be closed between April 26 to May 22 to prepare for the installation of works by Tacita Dean. Gallery 2 and the studio will also be closed from May 10 to 22, but the exhibitions on the 1st and 2nd floor will still be accessible.
If you’re visiting Paris with France Just For You this year and go to one of these exhibitions, please contact us to let us know what you thought! We’d love to feature your review and/or photos in our monthly newsletter!
