'Kandinsky, la musique des couleurs'

The Philharmonie de Paris is hosting an exceptional exhibition: Kandinsky. The Music of Colours*. From 15 October 2025 to 1 February 2026, nearly 200 works and objects from the studio of the master of abstraction are brought together to reveal the profound influence of music on his art.

When the ear guides the brush

Vassily Kandinsky, a knowledgeable music lover, saw music as a model of abstraction capable of liberating painting from any imitation of reality. Ever since his ‘Wagner shock’ in Moscow in 1896, he conceived his paintings as musical compositions, in which each colour had its own sound. The exhibition traces this quest through his famous series of Improvisations and Compositions, in dialogue with the works of Scriabin, Schönberg and Stravinsky.

A sensory immersion

The cabinet of an enthusiast

The exhibition also unveils an imaginary cabinet, reflecting Kandinsky's love of music: annotated scores, records, leaflets, photos of his musical friends… These treasures bear witness to the richness of his artistic culture and his creative process, notably his research into the ‘sonority’ of colours and his visual studies of Beethoven's 5th symphony.

Finally, the exhibition highlights the global vision of Kandinsky, who dreamed of a total art form. His stage designs, poems and the Blaue Reiter Almanac are all attempts to unite the visual and auditory arts. Reconstructions such as the staging of Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition and the Berlin Music Salon bring this vibrant journey into the world of the painter-composer to a close.

Experience other cultural highlights at the exhibitions in the Paris Region.