Best contemporary art exhibitions in Paris

Discover the most prominent contemporary art exhibitions in Paris, from leading galleries to innovative museums. This comprehensive guide will help you plan your visit to the City of Light, exploring works by both emerging and established artists. Stay up-to-date with the latest trends and cultural events in Paris's vibrant art scene. Ideal for lovers of modern and contemporary art seeking unique cultural experiences.

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  1. 1

    Major Group Exhibition (Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain, Paris)

    391 Global Votes
    • Highlights 40 years of contemporary creation

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    This major group exhibition symbolizes the reopening and curatorial ambition of the Fondation Cartier. It is expected to be a significant cultural highlight, bringing together several hundred works by various artists.

  2. 2

    Pauline Curnier Jardin - Virages vierges (Palais de Tokyo, Paris)

    0 Global Votes
    • Transforms space into a site of deviation and transformation

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    This major monograph offers a deep dive into a contemporary artist's work on significant themes of gender, power, and vulnerability. It combines theatre and cinema to explore the fluidity between these concepts in female bodies.

  3. 3

    Benoît Piéron - Vernis à ombres (Palais de Tokyo, Paris)

    0 Global Votes
    • Offers thoughtful and unconventional perspective

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    This disturbing installation provides a unique and personal exploration of illness, identity, and societal norms. It subverts healthcare aesthetics to create gentle, dreamlike narratives, enriched by the artist's recent discovery of their intersexuality.

  4. 4

    Cathy de Monchaux - Studio, Wounds and Battles, Desire is The Reiteration of Hope (Palais de Tokyo, Paris)

    0 Global Votes
    • Tactile, ambivalent aesthetic

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    This is the first retrospective of a major British artist, spanning roughly fifty works from 1984 to the present. It offers a deep dive into her challenging and thought-provoking work, exploring visceral desires and epidermal dangers.

  5. 5

    Neïla Czermak Ichti (Palais de Tokyo, Paris)

    0 Global Votes
    • Offers solace through hybrid monsters and chimeras

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    This exhibition presents a unique artistic approach to personal and societal boundaries. It combines drawings and textile sculptures to explore family secrets and the lines between the monstrous and the normal.

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  7. 6

    Calder. Rêver en Équilibre (Fondation Louis Vuitton, Paris)

    0 Global Votes
    • Turns the viewer into a collaborator

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    This monumental exhibition celebrates Alexander Calder's centenary in France and the fiftieth anniversary of his death. It offers an immersive experience of his kinetic sculptures interacting with Frank Gehry's architecture.

  8. 7

    Clair-obscur (Bourse de Commerce – Pinault Collection, Paris)

    0 Global Votes
    • Explores enduring legacy of chiaroscuro

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    This thematic exhibition reinterprets a historical artistic technique through a contemporary lens. It offers a sensory and immersive experience, exploring the interplay of light and darkness in contemporary art.

  9. 8

    Colors! (Centre Pompidou, Paris)

    0 Global Votes
    • Exhibition devoted to modern history of color

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    This exhibition offers a unique East-West dialogue on the history and contemporary use of color in art. It features over one hundred 20th-century masterpieces in dialogue with modern and contemporary Chinese works.

  10. 9

    Art Paris 2026 (Grand Palais, Paris)

    0 Global Votes
    • Spring's central rendezvous for modern and contemporary art

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    This is a crucial event for discovering a wide range of current contemporary art, emerging talents, and established artists. It features numerous galleries and curated thematic explorations.

  11. 10

    Nan Goldin: This Will Not End Well (Grand Palais, Paris)

    0 Global Votes
    • Extraordinarily immersive and emotional effect

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    This major retrospective of the iconic contemporary photographer offers an intimate journey through nearly five decades of her work. It features her renowned slideshows and videos, showcasing her raw and personal narratives.

  12. 11

    Leandro Erlich (Grand Palais, Paris)

    0 Global Votes
    • Exhibition arrives for the first time in France

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    This large-scale project by the international contemporary artist is known for its immersive and perception-altering installations. It offers an interactive and experiential encounter with contemporary art that challenges perceptions of reality.

  13. 12

    Lee Miller Retrospective (Musée d'Art Moderne de Paris, Paris)

    0 Global Votes
    • Retrospective rich with vintage prints

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    This comprehensive look at a pioneering female photographer's career, particularly her surrealist and wartime photography, continues to influence and resonate with contemporary artistic practices. It's organized in collaboration with Tate Modern.

  14. 13

    Leonora Carrington (Musée du Luxembourg, Paris)

    0 Global Votes
    • Pulls you into her mystical world

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    This first exhibition focusing exclusively on her work in Italy and France explores the formative years of a major Surrealist talent. Her unique vision and themes continue to inspire contemporary artists.

  15. 14

    Artists' faces: From Gustave Courbet to Annette Messager (Petit Palais, Paris)

    0 Global Votes
    • Highlights museum's key theme: self-portraits

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    This exhibition offers a fascinating historical and contemporary perspective on self-portraiture. It highlights how contemporary female artists like Sophie Calle and Annette Messager have redefined the genre.