As fall approaches in Paris, the cultural calendar is packed with extraordinary exhibitions that promise to captivate art lovers throughout the second half of 2025. From groundbreaking monographic shows to immersive experiences, the city's premier cultural institutions are preparing to unveil some of their most ambitious presentations of the year.
The Musée du Luxembourg will showcase a different perspective on Pierre Soulages' work with "Soulages, une autre lumière" from September 17, 2025, to January 11, 2026. While the artist is often reduced to his famous "outrenoir" technique developed in the 1970s, this exhibition reveals the remarkable diversity of his earlier career. The show highlights Soulages' extensive collection of works on paper – over 800 pieces that demonstrate the stunning range beyond his well-known black canvases that reflect light to reveal color.
The Musée d'Orsay presents its first French monographic exhibition dedicated to John Singer Sargent, titled "Éblouir Paris," running from September 23, 2025, to January 11, 2026. Despite being one of America's greatest 19th-century painters and arguably the era's finest portraitist, Sargent has never received a dedicated exhibition in France. The show features over 90 paintings, including works never before displayed to French audiences, celebrating the artist who developed his technique and created masterpieces while living in Paris.
Starting September 24, 2025, the Atelier des Lumières will transport visitors on an extraordinary journey with "Destination Lune," an immersive space experience co-created by actor Tom Hanks and Christopher Riley. Following its success in London, this groundbreaking show makes its French debut with monumental projections and an original soundtrack recorded with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. The experience covers everything from the Apollo missions to future Artemis program voyages, creating the sensation of traveling through space aboard a spacecraft.
The Musée Marmottan Monet explores the mysterious realm of dreams with "L'Empire du sommeil" from October 9, 2025, to March 1, 2026. This exhibition examines sleep's symbolic significance in 19th and 20th-century art, a pivotal period when scientific understanding of sleep was transformed. Through approximately 100 works, the museum reveals art's relationship with this enigmatic state, touching on themes of love, eroticism, and death.
The Philharmonie de Paris celebrates the profound connection between visual and auditory arts with "Kandinsky, la musique des couleurs" from October 15, 2025, to February 1, 2026. This exhibition showcases over 200 paintings and studio objects from Vassily Kandinsky, exploring how music fundamentally influenced his artistic development. The immersive sound experience creates correspondences between forms and notes, colors and musical nuances, highlighting the impact of composers like Wagner, Schönberg, and Stravinsky on the Russian-born, naturalized French artist.
The Maison Européenne de la Photographie presents "Edward Weston. Modernité Révélée" from October 15, 2025, to January 25, 2026. The exhibition focuses on Weston's pivotal transition in the 1920s from pictorialism to modernism, when the iconic American photographer simplified his compositions, eliminated artificial elements, and emphasized lines, forms, and light. Over 100 images will be displayed, including previously unseen works, alongside pieces by his contemporaries to provide context for this revolutionary shift in photographic style.
The Cité de l'architecture et du patrimoine commemorates a landmark cultural moment with "Paris 1925: L'Art déco et ses architectes" from October 22, 2025, to March 29, 2026. This exhibition revisits the 1925 International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts held between the Grand Palais and Trocadéro. The show explores this extraordinary event that reflected post-World War I society's inventive spirit and launched the Art Deco movement, featuring revolutionary figures like Le Corbusier, Auguste Perret, Henri Sauvage, and Robert Mallet-Stevens through immersive scenography.
Manga enthusiasts will find paradise at the Musée Guimet's "Manga. Tout un art!" from November 19, 2025, to March 9, 2026. The Asian arts museum traces the origins and evolution of Japanese comics through original plates, 18th-century illustrated books, and painted scrolls. The exhibition reveals manga's diverse influences, from traditional Japanese culture to satirical press, early animation, and Western culture, while highlighting the exceptional talent of master mangaka artists.
The Musée de l'Homme delves into one of humanity's most mysterious practices with "Momies" from November 19, 2025, to May 25, 2026. This exhibition takes visitors on a global journey to understand mummification rituals that have long been sources of both terror and fascination. The museum presents various mummification traditions from different parts of the world, offering a comprehensive panorama of this ancient funerary practice that continues to captivate modern audiences.
To conclude 2025 in spectacular fashion, the Grand Palais will host dual exhibitions featuring two essential names in contemporary French art: Eva Jospin and Claire Tabouret, from December 9, 2025, to March 15, 2026. These exceptional carte blanche presentations promise to be truly fascinating. Jospin's mysterious forests – monumental cardboard sculptures as delicate as embroidery – will transport visitors to an imaginary world filled with mystery and magic. Meanwhile, Tabouret's haunting canvases will immerse viewers in an ultra-sensitive universe populated by children, shadow and light interplay, and overflowing lipstick, creating an intense and aesthetic dialogue between the two artists.
