The exhibitions not to be missed in July
What kind of exhibition are you looking for? Classic? Modern? Contemporary? Historical? One that gives you wanderlust, moves you, dazzles you? Well, your search is over: the Paris Region has everything you could possibly ask for! Here is our selection of exhibitions not to be missed in July.
Voyage to the heart of the Pacific
Visit the Oceania exhibition at the musée du Quai Branly-Jacques Chirac to set sail on a voyage of discovery that will take you from New Guinea to Easter Island, from Hawaii to New Zealand. 200 exceptional items from public and private collections, each, in its own way, telling the story of Oceanian cultures in all their diversity, from ancient times to the present day: a subtle dialogue between tradition and modernity.
In the shadow of the Sun King
She was the governess of the royal children before winning the heart of France’s greatest king and becoming his secret wife. Three hundred years after her death, the Palace of Versailles recounts the story of Madame de Maintenon, in an exceptional exhibition that returns Louis XIV’s lover to the
apartments she occupied at Versailles between 1680 and 1715, when the king died. Madame de Maintenon, in the corridors of power tells a story worthy of a classic novel.
Eastern delights
What more appropriate place than the Musée Marmottan Monet to host the Eastern World of Painters. From dream to reality ? The museum is home to magnificent collections devoted to Napoleon and his family, and, back in the 19th century, it was the impetus of the Napoleonic conquests that led painters such as Ingres and Delacroix to venture eastwards to make their dreams of the Orient reality. With around sixty masterpieces from the most significant public and private collections, the exhibition aims to offer a new perspective on Orientalist painting.
Black figures in art
The Musée d’Orsay turns its attention to a subject rarely discussed: the representation of black men and women in the visual arts, from the late 18th century, with the first abolition of slavery, to Matisse, a big jazz lover and an artist with a cause. Black models. From Géricault to Matisse presents
around one hundred drawings, paintings and photographs which transcend purely artistic considerations to address aesthetic, political, social and racial questions.
Swiss gems
The Musée Maillol hosts The Emil Bührle Collection, one of the most prestigious private collections in the world. Swiss industrialist Emil Georg Bührle (1890-1956) amassed over 600 works of art between 1951 and 1956, around 60 of which are displayed in this exceptional exhibition. Works by
the likes of Manet, Degas, Renoir, Monet, Cézanne, Gauguin, Van Gogh, Modigliani and Picasso provide a complete panorama of 19th- and early-20th-century French art. Don’t miss this chance to explore the most significant currents in modern painting.
A Dane in Paris
The last time the work of Vilhelm Hammershøi was exhibited in Paris was twenty years ago. While the artist is above all known for his enigmatic, understated interiors, the Musée Jacquemart-André’s exhibition Hammershøi, The master of Danish painting presents his work in a different light, illustrating his links with the other artists in his inner circle. His pieces are thus presented as part of a dialogue with those of his brother, his brother-in-law and one of his few friends, highlighting their similarities, but also their differences. The most intimate of exhibitions.
In the moonlight
It is 50 years since Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin of the Apollo 11 mission left their footprints on the moon, yet this celestial body’s power to fascinate remains undiminished. The Grand Palais’s exhibition The Moon looks back at man’s relationship with our satellite since the dawn of time, from
scientific exploration to works of art. This lunar trail takes us from ancient times to contemporary art, from painting to video, from Galileo to Marc Chagall, from Jules Verne to Auguste Rodin…
The work of war
He might not have taken part in any wars, but Pablo Picasso certainly witnessed a few. The Cuban War of Independence, Vietnam, the First World War and, above all, the Spanish Civil War all had a profound impact on the man and on the artist. In the exhibition Picasso and War, the Musée de l’Armée, in collaboration with the Musée Picasso-Paris, reveals how the Catalan master’s work was heavily influenced and fuelled by these troubled periods. A powerful, emotional experience.
Picasso fan
When the master of Italian cinema meets the genius of Cubism he so admired, the result is a wonderful exhibition, to be enjoyed without delay at the Cinémathèque française. Conceived as an imaginary dialogue between the two artists, the exhibition And Fellini Dreamed of Picasso highlights
their similarities and shared passions. Film clips, posters, videos, photographs, costumes, and around 60 paintings, drawings and engravings by the Spanish master make for an astonishing artistic conversation.
Feel the noise
At some point, everyone has had a bit of a boogie to the music of Daft Punk. But the electro movement, so popular today, was born in almost total obscurity over 30 years ago. The exhibition Electro. From Kraftwerk to Daft Punk at the Philharmonie de Paris looks back at a movement that has transcended the bounds of music alone to become a fully fledged social phenomenon. And with a soundtrack specially created by the incomparable Laurent Garnier, what’s not to like?
Buried treasures
The Musée du Louvre’s exhibition Forgotten Kingdoms. From the Hittite Empire to the Arameans looks back at the history of the Hittite Empire, often overshadowed by the story of Ancient Egypt, its sworn rival. And yet Hittite civilisation dominated Anatolia and expanded its influence across the
Levant until around 1200 BCE. Rediscover the legendary sites of this great power, including the majestic ruins of Tell Halaf, near the modern-day border between Turkey and Syria. A breathtaking experience!
Dialogue at the summit
The Musée Picasso-Paris offers a unique dialogue between two towering figures of modern art, two of the most innovative men of the 20th century. What is the vacuum, the lack of space that the two artists tackled through their work, from silhouettes to abstract pieces? The Calder – Picasso exhibition explains it all.
The Pharaoh’s treasure
His name alone was enough to draw huge crowds in 1967 to what was dubbed at the time as the exhibition of the century. For a few weeks, the treasures of Tutankhamun are back in Paris, at the Grande Halle de la Villette, before being returned home to take up residence in the Great Egyptian Museum currently under construction in Giza. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to discover or rediscover these fabulous objects which helped build the legend of the most famous Pharaoh of
them all.
A romantic stroll
The Petit Palais is using the miracles of modern technology to offer you a stroll through 19th-century Paris. From the Tuileries to the Palais-Royal, from the Nouvelle-Athènes to Notre-Dame, the exhibition Romantic Paris, 1815-1848 will whisk you into a whirlwind of luxury and refinement,
rubbing shoulders with the greatest artists of the era, such as Liszt and Chopin, or stepping into literary salons attended by Gautier, Balzac and, of course, Victor Hugo… Paintings, sculptures,
drawings, garments and manuscripts are just some of the hundred or so works exhibited along the
way. Spectacular!
The art of prehistory
Prehistory at the Centre Pompidou ? Sounds like a strange fit, right? Wrong. From the very beginning of the 20th century, first artists and then society as a whole have been haunted by their “origins”, by
fantasies of what existed “before”. Turn back time with the likes of Picasso, Miró,Cézanne, Louise Bourgeois, Marguerite Duras, Ernst, Beuys, Giuseppe Penone and Miquel Barceló to discover the links between modern art and cave paintings. A modern enigma!
A woman among Impressionists
She rubbed shoulders with Monet, Degas and Renoir, but Berthe Morisot (1841-1895), a major figure in the Impressionist movement, and recognised in her time as one of the most innovative
artists around, is now much less well known than her illustrious friends. The Musée d’Orsay remedies this injustice with an exhibition that firmly establishes her role as a key figure in Impressionism and the development of modern art in Paris. She was, and remains, a vital figure in
the Parisian avant-garde of the 19th century.
Back in fashion!
Currently closed for renovations, the Palais Galliera, Paris’s temple of fashion, sets up home for the summer at the Musée Bourdelle for a brand new exhibition on an original subject: the back in fashion. Prêt-à-porter, haute couture, uniforms and work clothes are displayed in the former workshop of Antoine Bourdelle, as Back side brings the sculptor’s works face to face – or rather, back to back – with those of the biggest names in fashion.
Van Gogh in the spotlight
After its dazzling exhibition devoted to Klimt, the Atelier des Lumières takes you into the outlandish, chaotic and poetic world of Vincent Van Gogh. As you wander among the paintings projected onto
every inch of this 1500m² space, you are thrust into the midst of his creative genius. Van Gogh, Starry Night takes you on a journey through the prolific output of the tormented artist, from The
Apple Eaters (1885), to Sunflowers (1888), to Starry Night (1889). An immersive and breathtaking
visual and musical spectacle!
Music, musique
More than a simple exhibition, the Musée de l’histoire de l’immigration is offering a comprehensive musical and visual experience with Paris-Londres, Music Migrations. Guitars, clothes and
accessories, historical photos, concert posters, videos, music clips and archives tell the story of how waves of migration from the 1960s to the late 1980s transformed the musical and social landscape of the two capital cities. From Salif Keïta to Soul II Soul, from Fela Kuti to Khaled…
