The Best Of The Paris Museum Exhibitions For The 2020 Season

There is always a lot going on at the top museums in Paris and this year is no exception. So let's take a look at the calendar of the top Paris museum exhibitions for 2020. It's an exciting lineup at musées in every corner of Paris — the Louvre, Musée d'Orsay, Centre Pompidou, Quai Branly, Petit Palais, and even the Picasso Museum.

Museum Exhibitions at the Louvre in 2020

When the most popular museum in the world announces its new exhibitions art lovers sit up and pay attention. 2020 will be another good season at the Louvre with dynamic art exhibitions that draw art lovers from around the globe. Schedule of Louvre exhibitions 2020…

The Advent of the Artist

For its fifth season, the Louvre's Petite Galerie will continue its series The Advent of the Artist. In 2020, Renaissance artists Leonardo da Vinci, Donatello, Michelangelo, and Albrecht Altdorfer will be featured.

• Louvre, Petite Galerie
• Ends June 29, 2020
• Information…

Albrecht Altdorfer

An exhibition that showcases the richness and diversity of Albrecht Altdorfer's (1485-1538) work as a painter, draftsman, and printmaker. A major artist of the German Renaissance, Altdorfer produced highly inventive compositions in art and architecture; he is considered one of the founders of landscape painting.

• Louvre, Rotonde Sully
• April 23 to August 3, 2020
• Information…

Body and Soul – Sculpture in Italy from Donatello to Michelangelo

This exhibition brings together the themes and ideas of Italy in the second half of the Quattrocento and shows how pivotal events led to the defining moment in the history of Renaissance sculpture, with the greatest creator of all time, Michelangelo.

• Louvre, Hall Napoleon, under the Pyramid
• May 6 to August 17, 2020
• Information…

Museum Exhibitions at Musée d'Orsay 2020

Once a Belle Epoque train station, in 1986 Musée d'Orsay was transformed into the world's greatest museum dedicated to Impressionism and 19th century art. A few years ago the museum underwent a facelift with a nifty reshuffling of the paintings and a new paint job (white walls are so 20th century) to better highlight the artwork.

Joris-Karl Huysmans, Art Critic – From Degas to Grunewald

A key writer of the late 19th century, Joris-Karl Huysmans (1848-1907) was an art critic who discovered the talents of Edgar Degas. See works from his incredible personal collection.

• Musée d'Orsay
• Ends March 1, 2020
• Information…

Léopold Chauveau – The Land of Monsters

A doctor by trade — a profession forced on him by family obligation — Léopold Chauveau (1870-1940) took refuge in a strange, self-taught artistic universe. A sculptor, illustrator, and author, he was all but forgotten until his grandson donated his works to the Musée d'Orsay in 2017.

• Musée d'Orsay
• March 10 to June 29, 2020
• Information…

James Tissot

Jacques Tissot (1836-1902), a student of the École des Beaux-Arts, was a major artist of the late 19th century. This exhibition, the first since 1985, presents Tissot's iconic images, as well as his bold experiments. It also examines his painting techniques, themes, through his prints and photography.

• Musée d'Orsay
• March 24 to July 19, 2020
• Information…

Léon Spilliaert – Light and Solitude

This show featuring Léon Spilliaert (1881-1946) — the first in France for nearly forty years — ill concentrate on the years from 1896 to 1919, the most intense in Spilliaert's career, and will showcase the Belgian artist's most radical works.

• Musée d'Orsay
• June 15 to September 13, 2020
• Information…

Aubrey Beardsley

Although British illustrator and engraver Aubrey Beardsley (1872-1898) died at the tender age of 25 from tuberculosis, he left a legacy of work that has endured. He received his first major commission at the age of 20 and became famous for his illustrations for Oscar Wilde's Salomé. His vivid and elegant drawings depict a strange and erotic universe. The exhibition's 100 drawings show Beardsley's influences from Pre-Raphaelite to Lautrec.

• Musée d'Orsay
• June 15 to September 13, 2020
• Information…

Museum Exhibitions at Centre Pompidou 2020

It's been more than forty years since the opening of the Pompidou and, while not as magnificent as the 40th anniversary celebrations a couple of years ago, we're sure there are going to be fascinating exhibits for modern art fans in 2020. Upcoming exhibits at the Pompidou…

Yuan Jai

Taiwan-based artist Yuan Jai (b. 1941) explores her art with the use of Chinese ink painting and is famous for her bright, lush landscapes, paintings, jades, textiles, and ceramics.

• Centre Pompidou
• Ends April 27, 2020
• Information…

Neurons + Artificial Intelligence

The Pompidou is transformed into a science laboratory for creation and innovation, combining the arts, science and engineering. Each year, the program brings together artists, engineers, scientists and entrepreneurs. In 2020 three new editions will be devoted to 3D printing, computer languages, and artificial intelligence.

• Centre Pompidou
• February 26 to April 20, 2020
• Information…

Christo et Jeanne Claude – PARIS !

This major exhibition is dedicated to environmental sculptors Christo and Jeanne Claude, and traces their Parisian period from 1958 to 1964, as well as the history of the Le Pont-Neuf project.

• March 18 to June 15, 2020
• Centre Pompidou
• Information…

Matisse

On the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the birth of Henri Matisse (1869-1954) the Pompidou pays tribute to Matisse through an exhibition bringing together his essential works.

• Centre Pompidou
• May 13 to August 31, 2020
• Information…

Alice Neel (1900-1984)

The retrospective devoted to Alice Neel — "one of the greatest portrait artists of the 20th century" — highlights the political and social commitment of this painter largely ignored during her lifetime. The exhibition includes 70 paintings and drawings, as well as many documents, from the 1920s to the last paintings, completed before her death in 1984.

• June 10 to August 24, 2020
• Centre Pompidou
• Information…

Exhibitions at Musée du Quai Branly 2020

Dedicated to the study of mankind and the world, the Quai Branly museum showcases world cultures — African, Asian, Oceania, and the Americas. The museum is relatively new to the landscape of Paris museums, opening in 2006. It's very close to the Eiffel Tower.

Architect Jean Nouvel gets around. After he designed the controversial Institute du Monde Arabe in Paris, he went onto to create Musée du Quai Branly. The museum is a jumble of forms that also features tranquil gardens with a natural aesthetic — no formal French gardens, no lawns, no lavish entrance staircase. Instead, the garden is a series of small landscapes with native French plants.

Striking Iron – The Art of African Blacksmiths

The exhibition unveils the power of one of the world's most sophisticated forged iron traditions through 230 exceptional works by master blacksmiths from across Africa.

• Quai Branly
• Ends March 29, 2020
• Information…

Helena Rubenstein – Madam's Collection

Did you know that cosmetic legend, Helena Rubinstein was a huge art collector? This exhibition examines non-Western arts through the collection of the cosmetic legend, revealing her fascination with African art.

• Quai Branly
• Ends June 28, 2020
• Information…

Who is Gazing?

26 artists from across the globe showcase their work in a contemporary exhibition of photography, video and installations focusing on the relationship between photography and film.

• Musée Quai Branly
• Ends July 12, 2020
• Information…

The Olmecs and the Cultures of the Gulf of Mexico

Learn about the Olmec civilization and the little-known world of pre-Columbian cultures of the Gulf of Mexico. Take a fascinating journey into its three millennia of history, and artistic traditions. The exhibition sheds light on the Olmec civilization with over two hundred rare items, shown for the first time outside Mexico.

• Quai Branly
• May 10 to November 15, 2020
• Information…

Petit Palais Exhibitions 2020

If you're in the mood for a small museum, make your way to the impossibly adorable Petit Palais, found directly across the street from big brother, the Grand Palais on Avenue Winston Churchill in the 8th Arrondissement (easy walking distance from Place de la Concorde). Built for the 1900 Universal Expo, the Petit Palais is now the home to the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Paris, the fine arts museum. There's a pretty interior courtyard and a cafe to relax in before or after viewing the museum. We always stop in when we're in the area, especially since it's free!

In the Drawing Room – Masterpieces from the Prat Collection

Louis-Antoine and Veronique Prat's private collection, which they started in the 1970s, has become one of the world's most important collections of French drawing. In 1995 it was featured at the Louvre. Now, international art lovers can see the expanded collection in 2020, coinciding with the opening of the Salon du Dessin.

• Petit Palais
• March 17 to July 12, 2020
• Information…

The Golden Age of Danish Painting (1800-1864)

For the first time in thirty-five years, the Petit Palais is celebrating the golden age of Danish painting, 1800 to 1864. The exhibition includes 200 works by leading artists such as Christoffer Eckersberg, Christen Købke, Martinus Rørbye, and Constantin Hansen. It also provides a broad overview of life in Copenhagen during this period.

• Petit Palais
• April 28 to August 16, 2020
• Information…

Musée Picasso Exhibitions in 2020

The Musée Picasso is a jewel in the Marais, set in the historic and grand Hotel Salé. There are over 5,000 works that cover Picasso's paintings, sculptures, engravings, drawings, studies, drafts, notebooks, etchings and letters. If you are a Picasso fan, this is a must-see destination in Paris.

Picasso. Comics

The first exhibition dedicated to highlighting the connection between Pablo Picasso and comics. Through drawings, prints and original plates, the exhibition links Picasso's passion for the genre and how it influenced his art.

• Musée Picasso
• March 31 to July 21, 2020

Picasso. Poet

This exhibit explores Picasso and the written word. Poetry featured in his creative process and here, his manuscript of poems reveal the parallels between Picasso's words and his paintings.

• Musée Picasso
• March 31 to July 21, 2020

Picasso-Rodin

This stunning exhibition will be running at both the Picasso Museum and the Rodin Museum, at the same time. It will demonstrate how the two artists, individually and jointly, heralded a turning point in modern art.

• Musée Picasso, Musée Rodin
• September 15, 2020 to March 14, 2021
• Information…

Musée de l'Orangerie 2020

Tucked into the Jardin des Tuileries right at the Place de la Concorde, the 1852 stone structure facing the Seine was once the greenhouse that helped to nurture orange trees for the garden. (There's also an orangerie in the Jardin du Luxembourg, and it's still used to store plants during the winter.) Now, it's home to Monet's stellar waterlily murals. But, the Orangerie Museum has more artistic surprises in store, including this year's's exhibitions.

Giorgio de Chirico – Metaphysical Painting

The exhibition retraces the career and influences of Giorgio de Chirico, from Munich to Turin to Paris, where he was discovered as an avant-garde artist. It also explores the connection between de Chirico and the famous art dealer Paul Guillaume.

• Musée de l'Orangerie
• April 1 to July 13, 2020
• Information…

Musée Marmottan-Monet

If you love Claude Monet and the Impressionists you won't want to miss the Marmottan Monet Museum in the 16th Arrondissement. (Its name is a clue!) Set in the charming Parc Ranlegh in the posh neighborhood of Passy, this museum contains the largest collection of Monet paintings in the world. Claude's son Michel left his father's art to the state of France at the time of his death in 1966, including the iconic Impression: Sunrise, the painting that gave the movement its name.

Cézanne and the Master Painters – A Dream of Italy

For the first time ever, 60 masterpieces from around the world by Tintoretto, El Greco, Ribera, Giordano, Poussin, Carrà, Sironi, Soffici, Pirandello, Boccioni and Morandi will be featured in a unique exhibition showcasing the influences on Paul Cézanne's work.

• Musée Marmottan-Monet
• February 27 to July 5, 2020
• Information…

Jeu de Paume 2020

It's one of our favorite spots in Paris. Formerly a tennis court for royalty during the reign of Napoleon III set right on the edge of Jardin des Tuileries, it's now a museum dedicated to photography and modern media art. Like most things in Paris, it has a long history. In between its time from tennis court to photography museum, Jeu de Paume is where the Nazis stored the art they plundered from France. After the war and until the Musée d'Orsay opened in 1986 it was where the overstock of important Impressionist paintings was kept. In 1991, after a serious renovation, the Jeu de Paume opened as France's first national gallery of contemporary photography.

Le Supermarché des Images

Photographs, drawings, paintings, videos, films, digital works and multimedia installations explore the material world.

• Jeu de Paume
• February 11 to June 7, 2020
• Information…