Spring 2026 Art Guide: Exhibitions and Events to See in France

The Spring 2026 exhibitions and events in France promise an exceptional season of art. From Paris to Giverny, visitors can experience everything from major retrospectives to cutting-edge art fairs, where discovery, creativity, and emotion meet in museums, galleries, and monumental exhibition halls.

Alexander Calder – Fondation Louis Vuitton

April 15 – August 16, 2026

At the Fondation Louis Vuitton, Alexander Calder unveils the fascinating world of his mobiles and stabiles in a major retrospective that highlights his creative process. Here, the exhibition highlights his creative process in a clear and engaging way. For example, suspended maquettes, studio models, and monumental works reveal how the artist experimented with balance and movement before scaling them up into spectacular forms. Moreover, through wire, wood, and other simple materials, Calder created a subtle dialogue between lightness, gravity, and poetic precision. This approach profoundly reshaped abstraction in the twentieth century.

Alexandre Calder, Spiral with pumpkin, 1972 – Lithograph available on Artsper

François Morellet – Centre Pompidou‑Metz

April 3 – September 28, 2026

Meanwhile, the Centre Pompidou-Metz presents an exceptional retrospective dedicated to François Morellet. In this exhibition, visitors can explore his geometric games, neon works, and optical illusions. Interestingly, the artist, who famously described his work as art “for fun,” devised installations in which lines, grids, and lights seem to shift depending on the viewer’s perspective. At times, the space itself appears to tremble, creating a relationship that is both playful and intellectual between the artwork and the spectator. This dynamic interaction is an essential element of Morellet’s artistic approach.

François Morellet, 2 trames de chevrons-positif, 1960 – Artwork available on Artsper

Matisse – Grand Palais

March 24 – July 26, 2026

At the Grand Palais, Matisse is celebrated through a journey that embraces the full breadth of his work. This includes his Fauvist paintings as well as the iconic paper cut-outs he created during the final years of his life. Indeed, each cut shape and bold block of color reflects his extraordinary inventiveness and his ability to transform physical limitation into creative momentum. Moreover, inspired by nature, fabrics, plants, and everyday objects, these cut-outs become vibrant compositions where color itself is conceived as a pure source of joy.

Henri Matisse, Les cheveux, 1979 – Lithograph available on Artsper

Renoir – Musée d’Orsay

March 17 – July 19, 2026

At the Musée d’Orsay, Renoir takes center stage in an exhibition that reveals the warmth and intimacy of his artistic gaze. For instance, landscapes, genre scenes, and portraits of loved ones radiate an almost tangible presence, as if the figures were still quietly observing us today. Additionally, often painted outdoors, his mastery of natural light and reflections gives the canvases a distinctive vibrancy. Through these subtle shifts of shadow and color, his work fully embodies the spirit of Impressionism.

Auguste Renoir, Le Déjeuner des canotiers, 1880

Monet – Musée des impressionnismes Giverny

March 27 – July 5, 2026

Just one hour from Paris, the Musée des impressionnismes Giverny offers a window into Monet’s early years in the village that would become his creative haven. In this exhibition, Before the Water Lilies immerses visitors in a world where light, gardens, and rivers transform into vibrant canvases. Furthermore, each captured landscape reveals how Monet reinvented his vision of nature, boldly exploring textures, colors, and reflections—an approach that would eventually lead to his famous water lily series. Ultimately, the exhibition invites visitors to witness the birth of a unique artistic language, where everyday scenes become poetry and every garden turns into an infinite field of creation.

Claude Monet, La passerelle japonaise et la piscine aux nénuphars, Giverny, 1899 – © Philadelphia Museum of Art

Exhibition “Clair-obscur” – Bourse de Commerce — Pinault Collection

March 4 – August 24, 2026

At the Bourse de Commerce, the exhibition “Clair-Obscur” invites visitors to explore the interplay of light and shadow in contemporary art. Through a series of striking installations, the show highlights how artists manipulate illumination to create depth, drama, and unexpected perspectives. From immersive environments to delicate sculptural pieces, each work transforms the space, prompting the viewer to reconsider the boundaries between the seen and the unseen. Overall, Clair-Obscur offers a mesmerizing journey where light itself becomes both medium and message, making every visit a unique visual experience.

Victor Man, Titiriteros, 2023, Pinault Collection © Victor Man © Adagp, Paris, 2026. Photography : def image.

Sebastião Salgado – l’Hôtel de Ville de Paris

February 21 – May 30, 2026

The Hôtel de Ville de Paris is hosting an exhibition on Sebastião Salgado, a major figure in documentary photography. Known for his striking black-and-white images, the Brazilian photographer has traveled extensively to document work, migration, and natural landscapes.

Before becoming a photographer, Salgado worked as an economist. During assignments in Africa, he began taking pictures and quickly realized that photographs could tell stories numbers could not. His series are now among the most important in contemporary photography.

Sebastião Salgado, Des oiseaux, 2024 – Photography available on Artsper

Marilyn Monroe – La Cinémathèque Française

April 8 – May 24, 2026

The Cinémathèque française is hosting an exhibition on Marilyn Monroe, a major figure in Hollywood cinema and an iconic figure of the 20th century. Photographs, film clips, costumes, and archives trace her journey from her early roles to worldwide stardom.

Beyond the glamorous image, the exhibition highlights the complexity of the actress. Monroe studied seriously at the Actors Studio in New York, striving to be recognized for her acting as much as for her fame. The show offers a fresh way to discover one of cinema’s most famous faces.

Eve Arnold, USA. Nevada and California. The Misfits, a film by John HUSTON. 1960 II, Circa, 1960 – Photography available on Artsper

Françoise Pétrovitch in Monet’s footsteps – the Saint Siméon Farm

The Ferme Saint‑Siméon is hosting an exhibition by Françoise Pétrovitch, invited to engage with the legacy of Claude Monet and the impressionist painters who stayed in this historic site in Honfleur. The artist’s drawings, paintings, and sculptures are displayed in a setting once frequented by Monet, Boudin, and Courbet.

Known for her quiet figures and delicate atmospheres, Françoise Pétrovitch offers a contemporary view of the landscapes and themes dear to the impressionists. The exhibition creates an unexpected dialogue between past and present, where the artist’s vision meets the history of painting.

Françoise Pétrovitch at work in her studio at Ferme Saint-Siméon. Photo: © Hervé Plumet © Adagp, Paris, 2026

Maurizio Cattelan – Galeries Lafayette, Paris

March 10 – 27 April, 2026

The Galeries Lafayette are hosting an installation by Maurizio Cattelan, one of the most provocative contemporary artists of his generation. Known for his ironic and playful works, Cattelan turns the commercial space into an unexpected art setting, blurring the line between shopping and creation.

He often surprises visitors with temporary and humorous interventions. In this exhibition, some pieces seem to play with the department store’s codes, offering moments of surprise and fascination that are typical of Cattelan’s sharp humor.

Maurizio Cattelan, L.o.v.e, 2015 – Sculpture available on Artsper

African Fashion – Musée du Quai Branly

March 31 – July 12, 2026

The Musée du Quai Branly – Jacques Chirac presents African Fashion, an exhibition celebrating the creativity and diversity of contemporary African designers. Clothing, accessories, and fabrics highlight both traditional influences and innovative styles, from ready-to-wear to haute couture.

The show demonstrates how African designers reinterpret local patterns and colors to create a modern fashion. Visitors can discover bold silhouettes, vibrant prints, and artisanal techniques that reflect both history and the current energy of fashion on the continent.

Mbeuk Idourrou collection, Imane Ayissi, Paris, France, Autumn/Winter 2019. Photo by Fabrice Malard. Courtesy of Imane Ayissi.

La mode du 18e siècle. Un héritage fantasmé – Le Palais Galliera

March 14 – July 12, 2026

The Palais Galliera explores 18th-century fashion with the exhibition “A Fantasized Heritage”, combining period garments, reconstructions, and pieces inspired by the era. Dresses, coats, and accessories reveal the refinement and extravagance of high fashion at the time, while showing how these codes continue to influence contemporary design.

The exhibition also highlights the role of costume in society and the social theater of the period. It offers visitors an immersive experience in a historical and poetic world, where elegance and imagination come together.

Utica Queen / Ethan Mundt, 2021 © Eric Magnussen, Paris Musées – Palais Galliera, Paris Fashion Museum

Urban Art Fair, Art Paris and Drawing Now : the contemporary scene

At the same time, the contemporary art scene comes alive through the energy of fairs and events that shape Paris’s cultural calendar. For example, at the Carreau du Temple, the Urban Art Fair celebrates its tenth anniversary, transforming the venue into a global stage for street art. Visitors can explore immersive installations, sometimes ephemeral works, and participatory projects that invite them to engage directly—and even leave their own creative mark.

Similarly, at the Grand Palais, Art Paris gathers nearly 165 galleries from around twenty countries each spring, reinforcing its reputation as a major event for modern and contemporary art. Between established institutions and emerging galleries, the fair offers a vibrant panorama where French scenes meet international perspectives, often through spectacular installations blending art and technology.

Finally, contemporary drawing takes the spotlight with Drawing Now, an event dedicated to exploring the line in all its forms—from abstraction to narrative illustration. Far from being a simple preparatory sketch, drawing emerges here as an autonomous language, capable of surprising, questioning, and moving viewers just as deeply as painting or sculpture.

Overall, between heritage and innovation, Paris reaffirms more than ever its role as a global artistic capital. Every exhibition and fair becomes a space for dialogue between the past, the present, and the possibilities of the future.

Conclusion

The Spring 2026 exhibitions and events in France promise a season full of discovery, where immersive contemporary installations and iconic museum retrospectives invite visitors to experience art in completely new ways. For instance, did you know that some artworks at the Grand Palais change lighting every hour, offering a different perspective with each visit? A season to explore, where art continually reveals itself in ever-changing light.