Top exhibitions in Paris, autumn 2019-2020

Discover a diverse selection of must-see exhibitions in Paris - both temporary and permanent. Some are held in major museums, others are outdoors, in small galleries or at international art fairs. Whether you’re a fan of paintings, sculptures or photographs – you’ll certainly find an exhibition to fall in love with here…

Buddha, the golden legend

Musée Guimet until November 4, 2019
The first ever exhibition in France dedicated to the life of Buddha and the spread of Buddhism in Asia takes place at the Musée Guimet (External link). This retrospective illustrates the great miracles of his life: birth, awakening, his first sermon and path to nirvana. Through paintings, sculptures and architecture, the key stages of the Buddha’s life are highlighted in his travels through Asia to Afghanistan, Japan, China and Indonesia. As beautiful as it is educational, the exhibition, seen through these 159 works of art, presents an opportunity to better understand the history and the spirituality of Buddhism.

Address: National Museum of Asian Arts - Guimet
6, place d'Iena - 75016 Paris
Schedule: 10am- 6pm daily. Closed Tuesday.
Price: €11.50

Hassan Hajjaj - carte blanche

Maison Européenne de la Photographie, until November 17, 2019
A year after the photographer J.R. was given free rein at the MEP, Hassan Hajjaj, the acknowledged king of Moroccan pop art has been given carte blanche for his first solo retrospective in Paris. Redesigning the spaces to exhibit his celebrated photographic series, videos, sculptural installations, as well as furniture and furnishings, the artist reveals with both power and wit, a whole range of his playful art. His passion for fashion cleverly revealing the contradiction of the industry and criticising the consumer society, he questions the identity and religious traditions of Morocco and elsewhere...

Address: 5/7 Rue de Fourcy
Schedule: 11am-8pm Wednesday and Friday; 11am to 10pm Thursdays; 10am to 8pm, weekends. Closed on Monday and Tuesday.
Price: €11

Degas at the Opera

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Ouverture aujourd’hui de l’exposition DEGAS À L’OPÉRA. Présentée jusqu’au 19 janvier 2020 au musée d’Orsay. . Opening today of the exhibition DEGAS AT THE OPÉRA. On display until 19 January 2020 at the Musée d’Orsay. . Organisée à l'occasion du 350e anniversaire de l’@operadeparis, avec le concours exceptionnel de @labnf. L’exposition bénéficie du généreux soutien de Mazars, @natixis_corp et du Groupe Ponticelli Frères. . Organized on the occasion of the 350th anniversary of the @operadeparis, with the exceptional contribution of @labnf. With the generous support of Mazars, @natixis_corp et Ponticelli Frères Group. . This show will also be presented from 1 March to 5 July 2020 at the @ngadc . #museedorsay #museeorsay #orsaymuseum #artmuseum #artgallery #fineart #beauxarts #artexhibition #art #museum #Paris #exhibition #degas #degasopera #opera #operaparis #danse #ballet #danseuse #dancer

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Musée d'Orsay (External link) , September 24 to January 19, 2020
For the first time, the Paris Opera plays a starring role in a museum—and fittingly, the famous French painter Edgar Degas sets the scene. The artist was renowned for his obsession with dancers and the world of the opera, and this exhibition brilliantly displays Degas’ love of the subject with his depictions of the stage, dressing rooms, foyer, dance hall, musicians, dancers, singers, orchestras and spectators between 1860 and 1900.
Address: 62, Rue de Lille, Paris
Schedule: 9.30am-9.45pm daily (except Monday)
Price: €15.40

Francis Bacon in full

Center Pompidou (External link) until January 20, 2020
After showcasing the works of René Magritte, Marcel Duchamp, Henri Matisse and André Derain, the Center Pompidou now focuses on the work of Francis Bacon. This major exhibition showcases some key works of the writer and painter. Texts by Acheyl, Nietzsche, Bataille, Leiris, Conrad and Elliot, illustrate the influence Francis Bacon had on their work and their shared belief in “the concept of art in all its forms - liberated from the concept of idealism.”
Address: Galerie 2, place Georges-Pompidou, 75004 Paris
Schedule: 11am-9pm daily.
Price: €11

Charlie Chaplin, a one-man band

Philharmonie de Paris (External link) , October 11, 2019 to January 26, 2020
Drum roll please…the Musée de la Musique at the Philharmonie de Paris puts Charlie Chaplin, or rather Charlot (The Tramp), in the spotlight. His diverse talents are explored in this exhibition showcasing his skills as music hall actor, dancer and composer. This audio-visual and photographic journey immerses visitors into the fascinating world of one of the greatest icons of cinema.
Address: 221 Avenue Jean Jaurès, 75019 Paris.
Schedule: 12pm- 6pm, Tuesday to Friday; 10am to 6pm Saturday and Sunday.
Price: €11

The Figurative Mondrian

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. - J-2 avant l’ouverture de l’exposition « Mondrian Figuratif ». Membre du groupe De Stijl, Piet Mondrian est principalement connu pour ses peintures abstraites aux lignes épurées et aux carrés rouge, jaune et bleu. Le musée Marmottan Monet lui consacre une exposition événement en septembre 2019 et met l’accent sur son œuvre figurative majeure. Une soixantaine de peintures de premier ordre, sélectionnées par Mondrian lui-même vers 1920 pour son plus grand collectionneur Salomon B. Slijper, sont présentées en exclusivité à Paris et révèlent cette face méconnue de l’artiste. Paysages, portraits, peintures de fleurs marqués par l’impressionnisme, le luminisme, les fauves et le symbolisme répondent à de rares compositions cubistes et néo-plasticistes et placent l’artiste au rang des premiers coloristes de son temps et des grands maîtres de la peinture figurative du XXe siècle. Une invitation à découvrir un autre Mondrian. . - «Mondrian Figuratif» à découvrir du 12 septembre 2019 au 26 janvier 2020. . Exposition organisée en partenariat avec le Kuntsmuseum Den Haag . #museemarmottanmonet #mondrianfiguratif #mondrian #exposition #lumière #paysages #couleur #kuntsmuseumdenhaag

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Musée Marmottan Monet (External link) , from September 12, 2019 to January 26, 2020
Best known for his pared-down paintings dominated by red, yellow and blue squares, Piet Mondrian was one of the pioneers of 20th century abstract art, but few know of his other works. This exclusive exhibition at the Musée Marmottan Monet looks into his lesser-known figurative art. Mondrian’s paintings of landscapes, people, flowers are influenced by impressionism, luminism, wild animals and symbolism as well as Cubism and Neoplasticism reveal another dimension to his art.
Address: 2, rue Louis Boilly, 75016 Paris
Schedule: 10am-6pm Tuesday to Sunday except Thursday until 9pm.
Price: €12

Toulouse-Lautrec, Resolutely Modern

At the Grand Palais (External link) , from October 9, 2019 to January 27, 2020
At last, this is a well-deserved and wonderful retrospective dedicated to the artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. Through 200 works, the Grand-Palais explores the painter’s realistic, unbiased and often humorous view of Parisian nightlife in the 1890s.
Address: 3 avenue General Eisenhower, 75008 Paris.
Schedule: 10am-6pm, Monday, Thursday, Sunday; 10am-8pm Wednesday, Friday. Closed on Tuesday.
Price: €15

Tolkien, Journey to Middle Earth

BNF Paris (External link) , from October 22, 2019 to February 16, 2020
Fans of JRR Tolkien's Middle Earth, get ready! The Bibliothèque Nationale de France (National Library) will hold a huge exhibition in honour of the British writer. 300 pieces displayed over 1000m² (10764 ft²) explores the imagined geography of this brilliant creator of make-believe worlds. For the first time, the original manuscripts and drawings by Tolkien can be seen in France.
Address: Quai François Mauriac, 75013 Paris
Schedule: 10am-7pm Tuesday to Sunday, 9pm Thursday.
Price: €11

The new world of Charlotte Perriand

Fondation Louis Vuitton (External link) , from October 2, 2019 to February 24, 2020
Charlotte Perriand, an architect and artist, was a leading figure and pioneer of modern design in the 20th century. On the 20th anniversary of the year of her death, the Fondation Louis Vuitton pays tribute to her work with a retrospective emphasising the links between art, architecture and design. In her work, Charlotte Perriand particularly focused on the role of women and nature in society, and the museum has highlighted her themes in each of the ten rooms dedicated to her work.

Address: 8 Avenue du Mahatma Gandhi, 75116 Paris
Schedule: 10am-5.30pm daily.
Price: €16

Leonardo da Vinci, an exceptional retrospective

Louvre Museum (External link) , October 24, 2019 to February 24, 2020
Don’t miss the hotly anticipated blockbuster exhibition of 2019. On the 500th anniversary of the death of Leonardo da Vinci, the Louvre Museum brings together an outstanding collection of paintings and drawings, masterpieces and lesser known works. An incredible collection of drawings showcases his engineering and inventive genius alongside his legendary paintings including The Mona Lisa, The Belle Ferronnière (also known as Portrait of an Unknown Woman), The Virgin of the Rocks, the Virgin and Child with Saint Anne and Saint John the Baptist. It’s taken the team at the Louvre ten years to curate this exceptional retrospective – it really is an absolute must-see.

Address: Louvre Pyramid - Napoleon Court 75001 Paris 1
Schedule: 9.30am-8pm daily (closed Tuesday). Book a time slot online to ensure entry.
Price: €18.60

Felix Fénéon (1861-1944). Modern Times, from Seurat to Matisse

Musée de l'Orangerie (External link) October 16, 2019 to January 27, 2020
The first exhibition dedicated to Felix Fénéon, a journalist and exceptional art collector (1861 - 1944), focuses on the works of Seurat, Signac, Bonnard, Modigliani, Derain, Kahn and Matisse. The exhibition at the Musée de l’Orangerie also explores Fénéon’s tongue-in-cheek humor and his career as a civil servant while harboring anarchistic beliefs.

Address: Jardin Tuileries, 75001 Paris
Schedule: 9am to 6pm daily (closed Tuesday).
Price: €9

Van Gogh, Starry Night

Enlightenment Workshop, February 22, 2019 to December 31, 2019
Dutch painter Vincent Van Gogh is in the limelight at the Atelier des Lumières (External link) . This incredible new audio-visual show retraces the last ten troubled years of his life through his expressive brush strokes. It was a prolifically productive time for the artist, during this period he created more than 2000 paintings. The immersive digital exhibition will enchant lovers of Van Gogh’s work.

Address: 38 Rue Saint Maur, 75011 Paris
Hours: 10am-6pm Monday to Thursday.
Price: €14.50