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Add Texture to GoogleAs the light fades along the banks of the Seine, Paris in the fall emerges as the nerve center of the global art scene. Buoyed by the excitement of Art Basel Paris, the capital is presenting a museum program of rare richness this season, marked by centennial celebrations and major rediscoveries. From the Right Bank to the Left Bank, institutions are revisiting the foundations of modernity—from the bicentennial of photography to the contemporary resonances of the landscape—offering collectors and casual visitors a journey where dialogue across eras becomes the norm.
Photography and Landscape: Time for Historical Reflections
The fall calendar is punctuated by two significant anniversaries. At the Bourse de Commerce, the exhibition “Remember Me” celebrates two centuries since the invention of photography through the lens of the Pinault Collection. This colossal display of 700 works explores the enduring power of the gaze across time. While institutional records mention approximately 70 artists, other analyses of the collection suggest the presence of more than 80 photographers. The exhibition gives pride of place to Irving Penn, with an impressive collection of nearly 450 prints, as well as to Raymond Depardon. Beneath the dome, the Rotunda hosts a monumental installation by Barbara Kruger, titled *The History of Tears / Untitled (Remember Me)*, which disrupts the solemnity of the space. Admission is €15.00, with free evening admission on the first Saturday of the month.
For its part, the Marmottan Monet Museum is commemorating the centennial of Claude Monet’s death (1840–1926). Curated by Pierre Wat, the exhibition “Stories of Landscape: From Monet to Hockney” juxtaposes the master of Impressionism with 69 of his spiritual heirs from the 20th and 21st centuries. It brings together the visions of Munch, Soutine, Georgia O’Keeffe, and David Hockney. One chronological detail sets this presentation apart: while the preparatory documents mentioned the period 1890–2025, the museum’s official poster ultimately confirms that the exhibition will extend through 2026. Admission is €14.00 for this Paris stop, before the exhibition moves on to Grenoble in the spring of 2027.
Modern Reinterpretations: From Schwitters to Cassatt
The Musée national Picasso-Paris is making headlines by dedicating a major retrospective to Kurt Schwitters, opening on October 6, 2026. This marks the first exhibition of this scale in France in three decades. Dispelling rumors of an early opening in September, the institution at the Hôtel Salé is bringing together more than 300 works and documents, including paintings, the famous Merz collages and assemblages, as well as traces of the Merzbau and the sound work *Ursonate*. Schwitters’ genius for organized chaos is placed here in perspective with Pablo Picasso’s own formal explorations. Full-price admission is €16.00.
At the same time, the Musée d’Orsay is paying tribute to Mary Cassatt on the centennial of her death. “The Choice of Independence” brings together approximately 80 works, including pastels and previously unpublished correspondence, illustrating the freedom of an American artist who conquered Paris. A highlight of the exhibition is the documented reconstruction of *Modern Woman*, her lost fresco from 1893. This retrospective, produced in collaboration with the National Portrait Gallery in London and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, is available for €16.00 with online reservations.
Great Paintings Through the Ages: Zurbarán and Tintoretto
The Louvre is taking over the Hall Napoléon for an exhibition featuring Francisco de Zurbarán. This international retrospective, the result of a collaboration with London and Chicago, presents 65 paintings. In addition to 50 works by the master, the exhibition includes pieces by his son Juan and highlights the influence of this aesthetic on artists such as Manet and Picasso. The inclusion of 23 17th-century Spanish polychrome sculptures lends a rare physical dimension to this exhibition. Please note the tiered pricing: while admission is €22.00 for residents of the European Economic Area, it is €32.00 for visitors from outside the area.
Further north, the Musée Jacquemart-André presents “Timeless Tintoretto.” This first French retrospective covering the entire career of Jacopo Robusti brings together 40 masterpieces, notably from the Gallerie dell’Accademia in Venice. The exhibition demonstrates how Tintoretto fascinated figures such as Cézanne and Delacroix. Ticket prices, based on the museum’s standard pricing for major events, generally range from €17.00 to €18.50 depending on booking options.
New Narratives and Contemporary Figurative Art
The commitment to a more inclusive art history is on display at the Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris with the first French museum monograph dedicated to Kerry James Marshall. Titled “The Histories,” the exhibition brings together 70 works created between 1980 and 2026, including eight previously unseen paintings. In it, the artist continues his systematic exploration of the place of the Black body within the canons of history painting. The full admission price is €17.00.
At the Fondation Cartier for Contemporary Art, Ghanaian artist Ibrahim Mahama presents an immersive installation titled “Le Temps des récoltes.” The artist reinterprets industrial materials and his country’s history through jute sacks, elements from a former glass factory, and the installation *Parliament of Ghosts*. He is joined by nine other artists and collectives, including James Barnor and the CATPC. Admission is estimated at €11.00.
For a more intimate experience, the BnF Richelieu is partnering with the Centre Pompidou to explore the graphic work of Louise Bourgeois. “Extreme Tension” features over 100 drawings, prints, and artists’ books, spanning six decades of her creative output. The exhibition highlights the artist’s 1995 donation to the National Library, including the *Femme-Maison* series and the 2007 fabric series *Extrême Tension*. A combined BnF ticket is available for €18.00.
Finally, Lafayette Anticipations offers a moment of tranquility with Yu Nishimura. The exhibition “Towards a Sea” brings together some fifty oil and tempera paintings, in which marine motifs intertwine with memory and everyday life. This body of work, created over the past decade, is on free public display in the heart of the Marais through early 2027.