Events in Paris
Grand Palais
From 18 March to 6 July the Galeries Nationales will be presenting "The World of Andy Warhol" exhibition.
This selection of 150 photos and pictorial works pays homage to the high priest of American Pop Art in the 1960s and 70s, as well as painting a picture of a certain "society of the spectacle".
Forthcoming events: "From Arcimboldo to Dali", from 8 April to 6 July: a unique medley of painters from the mannerism of a 16C Italian painter to the surrealism of a contemporary Spanish artist.
Petit Palais
One hundred drawings by William Blake, 2 April to 28 June.
For the first time in France, the Musée des Beaux-Arts (Fine Arts Museum) in Paris presents a retrospective of this late-18C English Romanticist.
Château de Versailles
The Splendour of the Court, 31 March to 28 June.
This exhibition, one of many events at the palace, focuses on the magnificent costumes from Europe's royal courts between 1650 and 1800.
Musée d'Orsay
Leaving Rodin behind: sculpture in Paris, 1905-1914, 10 March to 31 May From the classicism of Maillol to the avant-garde Brancusi, this exhibition highlights major European sculptors who have succeeded in freeing themselves from the artistic influence of the great Rodin.
The Collages of Max Ernst, 30 June to 13 September
This German artist who settled in France was a major figure in the Dada and Surrealist movements from 1930 to 1950.
Centre Pompidou
Alexander Calder, The Parisian Years, 1926-1933: Gallery 2, 18 March to 20 July.
This evocation of a transitional period in the work of this American sculptor will be on display in the largest centre for contemporary art in France.
Wassily Kandinsky, a pioneer in abstract painting: Gallery 1, 8 April to 10 August.
In 1910 this Russian artist painted the first non-figurative work in the history of art, making a major contribution to the development of an important and innovative contemporary movement. During the 1920s he taught at the Bauhaus, a German architectural school, the aim of which was to bring together fine art and applied art. He lived in Paris for 10 years in the 1930s, where the Centre Pompidou holds the largest collection of his work.
Musée du Louvre
Cartoons: the world of the comic strip, until 13 April (Sully wing).
One of the world's greatest museums takes a in-depth look at the comic strip, proving that this art form is not just for children. The exhibition traces the artistic journey of this eclectic international genre with a focus on Manga, comics, science fiction, social caricature etc.
Musée du Quai Branly
Recipes of the Gods, aesthetic fetishes, until 10 May.
This museum dedicated to the primitive arts is hosting an exhibition of a hundred or so misshapen African divination objects (known as "fetishes") which can only be deciphered by a soothsayer. This extraordinary artistic and spiritual expression even influenced the Surrealists.
Musée Jacquemart-André
The Italian Primitives, 11 March to 21 June.
The museum presents a collection of Italian primitive masterpieces from the Altenbourg Museum in Germany. Artists from the Sienese and Florentine schools, hugely influential from the 13C-15C, prefigured the Renaissance. This collection was amassed in the 19C by the German baron, Bernard von Lindenau, a politician and avid art enthusiast.
La Pinacothèque
Suzanne Valadon and Maurice Utrillo: from Impressionism to the Paris School, 6 March to 15 September.
Suzanne Valadon was a model for the great masters (Degas, Renoir etc) before she herself became a painter at the end of the 19C, as well as the friend of fellow artists in Montmartre, where her son, Maurice Utrillo, was born. A famous painter during the first half of the 20C, Utrillo suffered psychological problems and as a result some of his works display the telltale signs of an "accursed artist".
Musées des Arts Décoratifs
Sonia Rykiel "Exhibition", at the Musée de la Mode, until 19 April.
The Musée de la Mode (Fashion Museum) at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris is currently hosting an exhibition of the famous stylist's work on the 40th anniversary of the creation of her renowned fashion house.
Jeu de Paume
Robert Frank, until 22 March
Martin Parr, until 29 September
The Jeu de Paume gallery (Place de la Concorde) and the Hôtel de Sully are museums dedicated to photography. This year they will be highlighting the work of Robert Frank, a key member of the Beat generation (along with the writer Jack Kerouac, in particular), and Martin Parr, a documentary photographer, who records the events of his time with a certain irony and detachment.
Other museums and exhibitions...
Musée en Herbe
This "community" museum, based in two locations (Rue Hérold and the Jardin d'Acclimatation), is primarily aimed at children, and provides a play-orientated approach to the world of art.
Cité des Sciences de la Villette
Epidemik: despite the somewhat anxiety-provoking name, this exhibition is both educational and inventive, with interactive games, role-playing, high-tech simulation games etc - on the whole, unsettling!
Institut du Monde Arabe
Bonaparte and Egypt, until 29 March.
An evocation of the Egypt campaign of this revolutionary general in search of his own destiny in the Land of the Pharaohs.
Regional events
Fondation Maeght, in Saint-Paul-de-Vence
Arte Povera, by Pier Paolo Calzolari, until 22 March.
The so-called Arte Povera (Poor Art) "movement" came to prominence in 1967, with its attempt to create a critical dialogue with the cultural industry and consumer society. The use of raw materials and simple compositions did not necessarily culminate in the creation of "à minima" works, but rather resulted in original poetic gestures. In his art, Pier Paolo Calzolari uses unusual materials such as salt, wood, leather, lead, copper, cotton, and even frost!
Musée Fabre, Montpellier
The German Expressionist Emil Nolde, until 25 May.
Montpellier is hosting the first French retrospective of this German painter (1867-1956), who is recognised as one of the great masters of the modern era. The exhibition will bring together 90 paintings and 60 graphic works by the artist.
Les Abattoirs contemporary art museum, Toulouse
DreamTime, 13 May to 30 August.
This contemporary art museum in Toulouse organises exhibitions at different venues throughout the Midi-Pyrénées region. Linking cave paintings to contemporary art, this exhibition on the theme of "DreamTime" is being held at both Les Abattoirs and in Le Mas d'Azil in the Ariège département, home to the Parc de la Préhistoire as well as numerous artists.
Musée de Bretagne, Rennes
Odorico, a dynasty of mosaic artists, 2 April to 31 December
The Champs-Libres exhibition centre in Rennes pays tribute to a family of artists of Italian origin, resident in Brittany since 1882 and the creators of numerous striking Art Deco-style mosaic works throughout the region.
Musée Jean Lurçat, Angers
The tapestries of Jean Lurçat from 1940-1960, until 17 May.
This exhibition brings together works from museum collections in Angers, as well as items belonging to the artist's widow and the Académie des Beaux-Arts. The result is a collection that highlights the major themes expressed by this painter-artist who had a real passion for contemporary tapestry, in which animals, the world of minerals and architecture are the main themes depicted.
Musée des Beaux-Arts, Dijon
The Hungarian Fauve painters (1904-1914), 13 March to 15 June.
Held in the city's Fine Arts Museum, this exhibition showcases the work of Hungarian artists who were followers of Matisse.
Musée d'art contemporain, Avignon
Until 31 May 2009
The magnificent works on paper by Cy Twombly depict references to mythology which are as romantic as a "Painter and his model" by Matisse or Picasso; Brice Marden's collages are intimately influenced by 15th century art. Words cannot do justice to the series of busts of Dante by Andres Serrano, Virgil by Miquel Barceló, a Roman emperor by Jean-Charles Blais, or to references to the Three Graces or the drama of Niobe by Giulio Paolini.
The beautiful 16th century, Troyes
Masterpieces of sculpture in the Champagne, 18 April to 25 October.
The Monuments Historiques association, the museums of the city of Troyes, and the Mission du Patrimoine de l'Aube organisation have come together to organise this exhibition in Saint-Jean-au-Marché church, featuring a hundred or so remarkable sculptures on loan from the Louvre museum, various New York museums and a number of churches from the region. The result is a magnificent celebration of the artistic expression and cultural influence of the Champagne region.
Musée d'Aquitaine, Bordeaux
Bordeaux, 1920-1930, from 28 October.
This overview of the city of Bordeaux retraces the architectural, urban, economic and cultural evolution of this regional capital in an exhibition area covering 800m².
Other exhibitions
Musée de Grenoble
Musée d'art moderne, Saint-Etienne
Musée des Beaux-Arts, Lyon
The future Musée des Confluences, Lyon
Other sources of information:
La Réunion des musées nationaux
A calendar of events in every major French museum.
A diary of events is also published by Evène, an online cultural magazine (French only) |