This year brings a host of new exhibitions in and around the French capital, including a major Matisse retrospective, a monumental installation on the Pont Neuf bridge and an homage to British photographer Martin Parr, who passed away in December. RFI looks at some of the highlights on the upcoming cultural calendar.
Review your classics
Matisse 1941-1954
This major show features more than 230 paintings, drawings, books and other documents tracing the rich final years of Henri Matisse’s career.
At nearly 80 years old, Matisse reinvented himself through the medium of intensely coloured paper cut-outs, which he elevated to an autonomous visual language.
Visitors will get a chance to see a range of works borrowed from Paris’ Pompidou Centre – closed for renovation until 2030 – and international collections, including the famous Blue Nudes and the 1946-48 Vence Interiors series.
Matisse 1941-1954 is at the Grand Palais from 24 March to 26 July.
Renoir and Love
For the first time in Paris since 1985, the Musée d'Orsay is bringing together some of Pierre-Auguste Renoir's greatest masterpieces for an exhibition dedicated to themes of love and human relationships.
Regarded as one of the 19th century’s great impressionist painters, Renoir's light, fluid manner of painting captures scenes from everyday life between the mid-1860s and the 1880s.
The collection of 50 paintings takes the viewer into the theatres, restaurants, guinguettes, boulevards and gardens where Renoir depicted changing interactions between men and women in an era when strict conventions still governed romantic relationships.
Renoir and Love is at the Musée d’Orsay from 17 March to 19 July.
Africa then and now
Benin round trip: Perspectives on Dahomey in 1930
This exhibition offers a reinterpretation of films and photographs produced during a mission led by French missionary Francis Aupiais and photographer Frédéric Gadmer to Dahomey (present-day Benin) from January to May 1930.
With around 300 items on display, this immersive experience questions the way non-European cultures are viewed within the context of colonial rule and the birth of ethnography.
Historical images are presented in contrast to works by contemporary artists from Benin and the African continent, such as Ishola Akpo, Sènami Donoumassou and Roméo Mivekannin.
Benin round trip: Perspectives on Dahomey in 1930 is at the Musée Albert-Kahn until 14 June.
Kwame Akoto: Almighty God Art Works
The Musée du Quai Branly is celebrating the career of Kwame Akoto, a major figure in the Ghanaian art scene, whose unique work combines brightly coloured painting with a spiritual edge.
Born in Kumasi in 1950, the artist had an unusual career path. In 1972, he opened his own studio, where he began as a sign painter.
He quickly moved beyond commercial works to develop a personal style blending faith, social commentary and humour under the name Almighty God.
Kwame Akoto: Almighty God Art Works is at the Musée du Quai Branly from 31 March to 13 September.
Hats off to Marilyn and Martin
Global Warning
British photographer Martin Parr, known for his humorous documentation of modern life, died in December at the age of 73.
Through some 180 works spanning over 50 years of production and ranging from his early black-and-white pieces to recent images, the exhibition addresses the chaos of contemporary society.
Parr not only gently pokes fun at our consumerist excesses, he captures subjects related to environmental destruction, including mass tourism, overconsumption and the omnipresence of plastic in daily life.
Global Warning is at the Jeu de Paume from 30 January to 24 May.
Marilyn Monroe: 100 years
Hollywood icon Marilyn Monroe would have celebrated her 100th birthday in 2026, and French film museum the Cinématheque Française is marking the occasion with an exhibition in her honour.
Monroe starred in more than 30 films, but her technical skill was often eclipsed by her looks and personal life.
This exhibition commemorates her greatest film performances and investigates what the enduring fascination with the star says about the public’s relationship with Hollywood and celebrity.
Marilyn Monroe: 100 years is at the Cinémathèque Française from 8 April to 26 July.
Game on
Video Games and Music
This interactive exhibition at the Philharmonie concert hall explores the history of video game music, from early sound chips to modern audio landscapes.
Twenty installations investigate the powerful connection between music, storytelling and technology in the world's most iconic games.
Alongside the exhibition, concert-goers can buy tickets for orchestral performances of scores from popular games, including Final Fantasy and Assassin’s Creed.
Video Games and Music is at the Philharmonie de Paris from 2 April to 1 November.
La Cavern du Pont Neuf (The Pont Neuf Cave) by JR
The French street artist known as JR has decided to take on Paris’s oldest bridge by transforming it into a giant cave.
The installation is inspired by the rocks used to create the bridge's stone bricks, in a modern nod to Paris's traditional architecture.
It is also an homage to artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude, who famously wrapped the bridge in 41,800 square metres of fabric back in 1985.
Visitors will be able to walk across the bridge for free, or pass underneath on boats, while the artwork is in place.
La Caverne du Pont Neuf will be open to the public from 6 to 28 June.
