Five years on, Belmondo gets the exhibition he deserves at the Cinémathèque française
Five years after his passing, one question weighs on every lover of French cinema: how do you pay tribute to an actor who left his mark across nearly nine decades of filmmaking? The answer lies at the Cinémathèque française, which is dedicating a Jean-Paul Belmondo exhibition of rare scope, open to the public from 7 October 2026.
A full programme built around the Jean-Paul Belmondo exhibition
The Cinémathèque française, located at 51, rue de Bercy in the 12th arrondissement of Paris, is going far beyond a simple showcase. The event runs over several months, through to 31 January 2027, giving audiences all the time they need to immerse themselves in it fully. It is, in short, a rare opportunity to dive deep into the work and life of an extraordinary artist.
Alongside the exhibition, a retrospective of his films will be screened in the Cinémathèque’s theatres. Talks and special screenings are also planned, with appearances by Paul Belmondo, his son, and Victor Belmondo, his grandson. These intimate exchanges promise a personal, behind-the-scenes glimpse of the man behind the roles.
Nearly 90 films and a career of many faces
Born in 1933, Jean-Paul Belmondo built a career of exceptional richness. It was in the 1960s, with Breathless, that he made his first indelible mark on screen. From that moment on, he never confined himself to a single register.
Because Belmondo, above all else, possessed a rare ability to move across genres. Comedies, dramas, action films: he excelled in each with disarming ease. His body of work spans nearly 90 films, alongside stage roles in theatre, proof of an artistic commitment that extended well beyond the screen.
- Breathless, the starting point of a legendary career in the 1960s
- Pierrot le Fou and A Woman Is a Woman, two landmark works in his filmography
- Borsalino and Stavisky, films that showcase his versatility
- Flic ou voyou and À double tour, among the features in which he takes centre stage
- La Ciociara, another key title in his cinematic journey
This breadth is precisely what the tribute at the Cinémathèque sets out to illuminate. The Jean-Paul Belmondo exhibition does not simply celebrate a star: it reveals the artist in all his complexity, and the man behind the roles.
An institution that honours the giants of the seventh art
The Cinémathèque française has previously dedicated exhibitions to major figures in world cinema, including Agnès Varda, Marilyn Monroe, and James Cameron. Each time, the institution offers a deep, considered portrait of a personality who helped shape the history of film.
With this new retrospective, another giant takes his place in that gallery. The exhibition dedicated to Jean-Paul Belmondo follows in this tradition of singular tributes, designed to help those already familiar with his work rediscover it, and to introduce it to those encountering it for the first time.
Practical information so you don’t miss it
The Jean-Paul Belmondo exhibition, titled Belmondo, Le Magnifique, is held at the Cinémathèque française, 51, rue de Bercy, in the 12th arrondissement of Paris. It runs from 7 October 2026 to 31 January 2027. The talks with Paul and Victor Belmondo are a highlight not to be missed for anyone who wants to go beyond the films and touch something more personal.
This Jean-Paul Belmondo exhibition is, ultimately, far more than a museum walkthrough. It is a plunge into the history of French cinema, carried by the living memory of a family and by the passion of an institution that knows, better than almost any other, how to honour its legends.
