Spring has landed in Paris, and the art world is shaking off its winter coat with a line-up that’s bold, beautiful and a little bit bizarre. From superstar retrospectives to surreal deep dives and AI experiments, the city’s museums and galleries are serving serious inspiration. Whether you’re craving colour, culture or just a reason to strut around the Marais in oversized sunglasses, these are the shows putting a spring in our step and turning heads this season.
David Hockney 25
Fondation Louis Vuitton | 9 April – 31 August
We love a poolside moment and Hockney’s giving us the full fantasy. His biggest retrospective ever dives into the past 25 years of his work, from digital iPad art to Yorkshire landscapes and those iconic SoCal splash scenes.
Agnès Varda’s Paris
Musée Carnavalet | 9 April – 24 August
This is a heartfelt cinematic stroll through the eyes of the legendary Agnès Varda. Her life, work, and love affair with Paris unfold through rare photos, clips, and objects from her iconic pink house.
Énormément Bizarre: A Cabinet of Curiosities
Centre Pompidou | 26 March – 30 June
Jean Chatelus wasn’t just a collector, he was an accumulator of the weird and the wonderful. Expect nearly 400 surreal, haunting, and oddly beautiful objects orbiting around bodies, death, and the ephemeral.
Paris noir at the Pompidou
Centre Pompidou | 19 March – 30 June
Before Beaubourg shuts for a five-year facelift, it’s going out with a bang. Paris Noir brings together 150 Afro-descendant artists who’ve reshaped the city’s cultural soul through art, identity, and resistance. This one’s history-making.
Robert Doisneau. Instants Donnés
Musée Maillol | 17 April – 12 October
The king of capturing Parisian charm is back. This huge retrospective shows Doisneau doing what he did best: finding the poetry in everyday life. It’s cheeky, tender, and oh-so-Paris.
Out of focus. Another vision of art, from 1945 to nowadays
Musée de l’Orangerie | 30 April – 18 August
Blurry is the new bold. From Monet’s watery worlds to dreamy contemporary works, this show explores how blurriness opens another interpretation of a whole area of modern and contemporary visual creation.
FEMMES curated by Pharrell
Galerie Perrotin | 20 March – 19 April
Pharrell (yes, that Pharrell) celebrates femininity and identity through the eyes of African and Afro-diasporic artists. Expect fierce sculptures, bold textiles and striking portraits. Beautiful, unapologetic, and utterly fresh.
Niki de Saint Phalle, Jean Tinguely & Pontus Hultén
Grand Palais | 11 June 2025 – 4 January
With the Pompidou shutting for five years, its spirit lives on at Grand Palais, kicking off with this fiery deep-dive into the rebellious, romantic and rule-breaking partnership between Saint Phalle and Tinguely – curated through the eyes of the Pompidou’s very first director.
Also Worth a Wander…
Le mystère Cléopâtre – Institut du Monde Arabe (11 June – 11 January)
She’s iconic for a reason. This deep dive into Cleopatra’s real story unpacks how she’s been reimagined through art, politics, and pop culture. Spoiler: she’s always been that girl.
“The World Through AI” at Jeu de Paume (11 April – 21 September)
A deep-dive into how AI sees us, and what that says about us.
Maison Européenne de la Photographie | Dennis Morris (Now until 18 May)
Iconic snaps of Bob Marley, the Sex Pistols and punk-era magic. Music meets myth.
