What not to miss at Paris 2025’s major exhibitions

The 2025 artistic season promises to be particularly busy in Paris. From the Soulages retrospective at the Musée du Luxembourg to Kandinsky at the Philharmonie, here are the must-see autumn exhibitions.

Once again this year, Paris asserts its role as an international cultural capital with a museum program as rich as it is varied. From tributes to major figures in modern art to engaging retrospectives and immersive installations, art lovers will have plenty to fill their cultural diaries from September onwards.

Nina Chanel Abney at Perrotin: Paris through American eyes

Galerie Perrotin welcomes Nina Chanel Abney, the American artist known for her graphic and engaged works. From September 6 to October 11, 2025, she exhibits in Paris for the first time since 2018. Her paintings question power relationships, race and American social myths. Located in the Marais district, the gallery is a must for contemporary art lovers in Paris.

📅 From September 6 to October 11, 2025
📍 Galerie Perrotin, 76 rue de Turenne, Paris 4e

Soulages, another light at the Musée du Luxembourg

This exhibition unveils 130 works on paper, a lesser-known facet of Pierre Soulages. Working with black as a source of light, he uses walnut stain, ink and gouache to create a subtle dialogue with the support. The Musée du Luxembourg, in the 6th arrondissement, offers an intimate setting for this plunge into a body of work where light emerges from darkness.

📅 From September 17, 2025 to January 11, 2026
📍 Musée du Luxembourg, 19 rue de Vaugirard, Paris 6e

Kandinsky and the colors of sound at the Philharmonie

The Philharmonie de Paris, in the 19th arrondissement, explores the sonic dimension of Vassily Kandinsky’s work(October 14, 2025 – February 1, 2026). Thanks to an immersive staging, the exhibition reveals the artist’s close ties with music. Paintings, drawings, scores and personal objects illustrate this synthesis of the arts.

📅 From October 14, 2025 to February 1, 2026
📍 Philharmonie, 221 avenue Jean-Jaurès, Paris 19e

Otobong Nkanga: art, ecology and the body at the Musée d’Art Moderne

With I Dreamt of You in Colours, Otobong Nkanga takes over the Musée d’Art Moderne in Paris. Between ecology, mineral memory and corporality, his works take the form of tapestries, sculptures and installations. A powerful reflection on the exploitation of natural resources in Africa. An exhibition that is both aesthetic and political.

📅 From October 10, 2025 to February 22, 2026
📍 Musée d’Art moderne de Paris, 11 avenue du Président-Wilson, Paris 16e

International Minimalism at the Bourse de Commerce

With Minimal, the Bourse de Commerce offers a plunge intominimal art in all its forms. Nearly one hundred works cover the major figures of the genre and its local variations. Japanese Mono-ha and Lygia Lydia Pape‘s textile sculpture are also featured. A demanding but enlightening tour.

📅 From October 8, 2025 to January 18, 2026
📍 Bourse de Commerce, 2 rue de Viarmes, Paris 1er

My Name Is Orson Welles, at the Cinémathèque française

The Cinémathèque Française is devoting a comprehensive exhibition to Orson Welles. Too often reduced to Citizen Kane, Welles was also an actor, magician, storyteller and polemicist. With film extracts, rare objects and never-before-seen screenings, this exhibition highlights the richness of his work and his fight against studio conformism.

📅 From October 8, 2025 to January 11, 2026
📍 Cinémathèque française, 51 rue de Bercy, Paris 12e

Jacques-Louis David: painting and politics at the Louvre

The Musée du Louvre is devoting a monumental retrospective to neoclassicist Jacques-Louis David. In addition to masterpieces such as Le Serment du Jeu de Paume and Marat assassiné, the exhibition examines his political role during the French Revolution and Empire. A powerful dialogue between art and French history.

📅 From October 15, 2025 to January 26, 2026
📍 Musée du Louvre, Paris 1er

Gerhard Richter: 70 years of creation at the Fondation Louis Vuitton

Gerhard Richter receives a comprehensive monograph at the Fondation Louis Vuitton, exploring all his creative periods. From photo-painting to abstractions, the exhibition covers almost 70 years of work. A dense journey through an iconic site in the Bois de Boulogne.

📅 From October 17, 2025 to March 2, 2026
📍 Fondation Louis Vuitton, 8 avenue du Mahatma-Gandhi, Paris 16e

Art Deco in the spotlight at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs

To celebrate 100 years of the Art Deco movement, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs is staging a major exhibition featuring over 1,000 pieces. Fashion, design, jewelry, furniture… the exhibition shows the breadth of this style, which continues to shape Paris and the world.

📅 From October 22, 2025 to April 26, 2026
📍 Musée des Arts décoratifs, 107 rue de Rivoli, Paris 1er

Fondation Cartier: 40 years of contemporary creation

The Fondation Cartier inaugurates its new location on the Place du Palais-Royal with a group exhibition of 600 works. Entitled Exposition Générale, it celebrates over 40 years of artistic programming. Painting, installation, video: a dense panorama of contemporary creation.

📅 From October 25, 2025 to August 23, 2026
📍 Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain, 2 place du Palais-Royal, Paris 1er

Also read: Open-air cinema at the Palais Galliera: Rick Owens signs the program