In this article:
Spotlight on contemporary artists, retrospectives of great masters of painting, a dive into history, visual and immersive art... the autumn season offers a rich programme of beautiful discoveries. Here's a quick overview of the must-see exhibitions not to be missed from September to November 2025 in Paris.
There's a lot going on at the major Parisian museums! Although the Centre Pompidou is closing its doors on 22 September 2025 for several years of renovation, culture lovers can enjoy rediscovering the Palais de la Découverte, which reopened this summer, and visiting the new temple of the Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain. After enjoying great success on Boulevard Raspail, the foundation is reinventing itself just a stone's throw from the Palais-Royal and moving to the former Louvre des Antiquaires, with 6,500 m² of exhibition space. To mark its move to the Place du Palais Royal, the Fondation Cartier is inaugurating a major exhibition highlighting four decades of contemporary creation through an emblematic selection from its collection: general exhibition of the Collection.
The Musée d'Orsay has a treat in store for visitors from 23 September 2025 to 11 January 2026: John Singer Sargent (1856-1925), the famous American painter who enjoyed his first successes in France. More than 90 works, some of which have never been seen before, have been selected in partnership with the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York to create this exhibition dedicated to His Paris Years (1874-1884). At the same time, the museum will offer visitors the chance to discover the fascinating life of the sculptor Paul Troubetzkoy, born a prince in Russia, who made animal welfare his life's work. This committed and resolutely modern artist can be discovered from 30 September 2025 to 11 January 2026 in the exhibition “The Prince Sculptor”.
For its reopening this year, the Grand Palais has scheduled a programme of exhibitions that are sure to attract visitors. From 20 June 2025 to 4 January 2026, the spotlight will be on a legendary couple in the history of art: Niki de Saint Phalle and Jean Tinguely through the eyes of Pontus Hultén (first director of the Musée National d'Art Moderne at the Centre Pompidou). An exhibition that breaks the mould.
Pierre Soulages, une autre lumière, an exhibition to see at the Musée du Luxembourg, also celebrates one of the figures of contemporary art. From 17 September 2025 to 11 January 2026, visitors can discover the works on paper of this artist famous for his use of black.
The Louvre Museum is offering two highlights: a masterful exhibition on Jacques-Louis David, marking the bicentenary of his death (from 15 October 2025 to 26 January 2026), and La Fabrique de la Galerie Farnèse, which immerses visitors in the rich world of Roman frescoes (from 5 November 2025 to 2 February 2026).
In autumn 2025, Paris' major museums will unveil exhibitions that are as ambitious as they are eclectic. The Petit Palais is honouring Jean-Baptiste Greuze with "L'enfance en lumière" (Childhood in Light), a unique exhibition dedicated to this little-known 18th-century painter (from 16 September 2025 to 25 January 2026). At the Musée de l'Orangerie, Berthe Weill, a pioneering avant-garde gallery owner, is being celebrated with a retrospective exhibition (from 8 October 2025 to 26 January 2026). Dream lovers will be enchanted by "L’Empire du Sommeil", a poetic exploration of sleep in art from Antiquity to the 20th century, at the Marmottan Monet Museum (from 9 October 2025 to 1 March 2026). At the Musée d'Art Moderne, a major retrospective is dedicated to George Condo, master of contemporary grotesque art (from 10 October 2025 to 8 February 2026).
Also at the crossroads of the arts and the imagination, the Japanese Cultural Centre is paying tribute to Isao Takahata, a legendary figure in Japanese animation and co-founder of Studio Ghibli (from 15 October 2025 to 24 January 2026). At the Fondation Louis Vuitton, the great Gerhard Richter takes over the venue with 270 works spanning more than 60 years of creativity (from 17 October 2025 to 2 March 2026), while the Palais de Tokyo gives carte blanche to African-American sculptor Melvin Edwards (from 22 October 2025 to 15 February 2026). Finally, the Panthéon is hosting artist Nicolas Daubanes for a contemporary and commemorative exhibition, Ombre est lumière, mémoire des lieux (Shadow is Light, Memory of Places), from 19 November 2025 to 8 March 2026.
The Jacquemart-André Museum is giving pride of place to the great French painter André Georges de la Tour this autumn, showcasing magnificent works by this French heir to Caravaggio from 11 September 2025 to 22 February 2026.
The Mystery of Cleopatra, an exhibition-event at the Arab World Institute from 11 June 2025 to 11 January 2026, explores the mythical figure of the last Ptolemaic ruler, between historical reality and artistic reinvention. Through some 250 works - paintings, sculptures, manuscripts, coins, archaeological objects, costumes, photographs and multimedia installations - the exhibition highlights the construction of the Cleopatra myth in collective culture, from Antiquity to the present day, while offering an immersive and educational scenography.
La Bourse du Commerce is participating in the Brazil-France 2025 season by paying tribute to Lygia Pape from 10 September 2025 to 23 February 2026. This exhibition, which combines light installations and iconic works, is a wonderful (re)introduction to the world of this figure of the Brazilian avant-garde. At the same time, the venue is offering visitors the chance to discover her exhibition Minimal: When Art Goes to the Essentials from 8 October 2025 to 18 January 2026.
Also as part of the France-Brazil Season, the Musée du Quai Branly - Jacques Chirac is offering a journey into the Amazon from 30 September 2025 to 18 January 2026 through traditional objects, videos, photographs, contemporary installations, and ancestral knowledge such as languages, songs and body art.
Fashion is not to be outdone with a retrospective dedicated to Paul Poiret, a couturier, decorator and perfumer, at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs from 25 June 2025 to 11 January 2026. While this exhibition offers a journey through time, the retrospective exhibition Virgil Abloh: The Codes, presented at the Grand Palais from 30 September to 10 October 2025, is more modern than ever, celebrating the streetwear designer who brought street fashion to the forefront and onto the catwalks! Meanwhile, the Galerie du 19M, Chanel's fashion workshop, is unveiling its new free exhibition, Trouver son monde, showcasing collaborations between craftspeople and emerging artists from 17 September to 14 December 2025. At the end of the year, the Palais Galliera will also showcase fashion expertise in its exhibition Weaving, embroidering, enhancing: the expertise of fashion from 13 December 2025 to 18 October 2026.
Literature is also being celebrated this autumn with several exhibitions: Colette at the BnF - François-Mitterrand site, which demonstrates the social power of the author, from 23 September 2025 to 18 January 2026, and Hugo décorateur at la Maison Victor Hugo from 13 November 2025 to 26 April 2026, which reveals the hidden side of the writer.
For a musical immersion, head to the Philharmonie de Paris, which always has wonderful retrospectives in store, to discover Kandinsky. La musique des couleurs, an exhibition combining music and painting from 15 October 2025 to 1 February 2026.
Finally, film lovers will be in their element with the major exhibition My name is Orson Welles from 8 October 2025 to 11 January 2026 at the Cinémathèque française.
A unique and unusual event: the exhibition Manga. Tout un art ! (Manga: An Art Form!), spread over three separate spaces at the Musée Guimet, offers a total immersion in the world of manga from 19 November 2025 to 9 March 2026.
This autumn 2025, Paris has an abundance of outings for kids and adults. With cultural events, live productions, **art installations ** and all kinds of special events and activities, a packed schedule of events promises unique moments for the whole family.
From 11 September to 21 December 2025, the floating barge Fluctuart will host the exhibition Carte blanche by John Andrew Perello, alias JonOne.
Finally, another famous street artist will be honoured this autumn, but this time in a gallery! From 27 September to 25 October 2025, the Parisian gallery Mathgoth will pay tribute to Miss.Tic, who decorated the streets of the city, particularly in the 13th arrondissement, for decades before passing away in 2022.
Photography is also in the spotlight this autumn! First, head to the Musée Maillol to catch the last few days (until 12 October 2025) of the exhibition dedicated to the famous French photographer Robert Doisneau, who immortalised the city like no other. The Jeu de Paume is dedicating, is dedicating a retrospective to Luc Delahaye (from 10 October 2025 to 25 January 2026) with around forty poignant large-format photographs on display. In a more contemplative style, the Françoise Livinec gallery welcomes Matthieu Ricard, Buddhist monk and photographer. This first exhibition offers visitors the chance to discover some sixty works that take them on a journey to the far reaches of the Himalayas.
Also worth noting is the Photoclimat art biennial, which combines art and the environment, returning to the Place de la Concorde in Paris from 12 September to 12 October 2025.
After conquering the Grand Palais Immersif last season, Miguel Chevalier presents his exhibition Pixels Botaniques: the digital exhibition at the Musée de la Seine-et-Marne until 30 November 2025. A great way to learn about digital art, this exhibition is for all ages!
In the 11th arrondissement, the Atelier des Lumières is transforming into a time machine with its exhibition Destination Moon: An Immersive Journey with Tom Hanks, starting on 24 September 2025.
These are the last few days at the Grand Palais Immersif for the exhibition Clubbing, celebrating club culture and its many facets. Take a journey to the heart of the party until 1 October 2025.
A wide range of exhibitions focus on well-known and lesser-known aspects of history.
For a real leap into the past, head to the Musée de l'Homme for a highly anticipated exhibition on mummies from 19 November 2025 to 25 May 2026. Then explore The Middle Ages in the 19th century. Creations, Copies and Fakes in the Fine Arts at the Cluny Museum from 7 October 2025 to 11 January 2026.
For a truly immersive experience, embark on In the Wake of Magellan at the National Maritime Museum from 22 October 2025. Follow the epic story of great conquests by sea.
And if you're more into castle life and royal history, don't miss the chance to (re)discover the story of Marie Antoinette in Saint-Cloud, in the free exhibition at the Musée des Avelines from 20 September to 14 December 2025.
The Domaine départemental de Sceaux will reveal the treasures and behind-the-scenes secrets of the château from 19 September 2025 to 22 March 2026. For its part, the Château de Versailles looks back at the history of the Grand Dauphin, son of a king, father of a king and never king himself, the eldest son of Louis XIV.
Finally, the history of Paris continues to fascinate. To find out more, the Carnavalet Museum is the place to go. This autumn, from 8 October 2025 to 8 February 2026, it is dedicating a unique exhibition, Les gens de Paris, 1926-1936 (The People of Paris, 1926-1936), to the new inhabitants of the city who flocked there between the two world wars. La Cité de l'Architecture is also revisiting this pivotal period that saw the birth of Art Deco in its exhibition Paris 1925: Art Deco and its architects from 22 October 2025 to 29 March 2026.
Combining architectural history and anecdotes, the Palais Garnier, an iconic monument of the City of Light, is retracing its 150-year history in a major exhibition organised by the BnF and the Paris Opera.
This hybrid scenography, halfway between art and history, deconstructs clichés by highlighting the social, cultural and artistic richness of working-class neighbourhoods, from the red belt to large urban complexes.
It is a must-see event to add to your cultural calendar for an enriching and engaging start to the new season.
