More Than 40 Great Paris Museum Exhibitions In 2018

There is always a lot going on at the top museums in Paris and this year is no exception. Here's a calendar of the top Paris museum exhibitions for 2018. It's an exciting lineup at musées in every corner of Paris — the Louvre, Musée d'Orsay, Centre Pompidou, Quai Branley, Petit Palais, l'Orangerie in the Tuileries Garden, and even the Picasso Museum.

Picasso – Blue and Rose is going to be very popular at the Musée d'Orsay (from September 2018) as will the museum's Renoir Father and Son clever exhibition. But if you're like us, you'll also have time for exhibits at smaller, more intimate museums like the Petit Palais. And, if you have a passion for non-European art, you won't want to miss the special shows at Musée du Quai Branly in the 7th, near the Eiffel Tower.

Museum Exhibitions at the Louvre in 2018

When the most popular museum in the world announces its new exhibitions art lovers sit up and pay attention. 2018 looks to be another good year at the Louvre with dynamic art exhibitions that will draw crowds.

Power Plays

Fifty works from the Louvre, Musée National, Versailles, and Beaux-Arts illustrate the evolution of political power. Spanning from antiquity to present day the works in this collection highlight the evolution of political power as expressed through art.

• The Petite Galerie, Richelieu Wing, Lovre
• Ends July 2, 2018
• Website…

France Viewed from the Grand Siècle

After training as an engraver, Israël Silvestre (1621-1691) turned to cityscapes. He started with small drawings of his hometown Nancy, his later works were panoramas of Paris, with royal festivities and of the cities conquered by Louis XIV. This series also includes his beautiful drawings of local landmarks like Vaux-le-Vicomte, Meudon, Montmorency and Versailles.One hundred drawings, 400 prints, and eighty-eight copper plates.

• Rotonde Sully, Lovre
• March 14 to June 25, 2018
• Website…

Delacroix (1798-1863)

Eugene Delacroix (1798-1863) was a true Renaissance man — a gifted writer, painter, and illustrator. This is the first major exhibition of Delacroix since the 100-year anniversary of his death in 1963. Over 180 artworks by Delacroix will be on view including the monumental pieces from his early years at the Salon of 1820 to his final mysterious compositions

• Hall Napoléon, under the Louvre Pyramid
• March 29 to July 23, 2018
• Website…

Grappling With The Modern – From Delacroix To The Present Day

To mark the 220th anniversary of Eugène Delacroix's birth, this exhibition features Delacroix' paintings in the newly-restored Saint-Sulpice church including his most famous mural, Jacob Wrestling with the Angel. Monumental and complex, this project was commissioned in 1849 and kept Delacroix busy until his the end of his life. The exhibition will also compare Delacroix's masterpieces to works of other 19th- and 20th-century artists he influenced, from Gauguin to Chagall.

• Musée Delacroix (managed by the Louvre)
• April 11 to July 23, 2018

Pastels At The Louvre from the 17th & 18th Centuries

Pastels are about as delicate as the wings of butterflies and must be kept in carefully monitored storage. They rarely see the light of day due to their fragile nature. This rare exhibition features 120 examples from the 18th century — the pastel golden age with works by Liotard, de La Tour, Boucher and Le Brun.

• Rotonde Sully (South), Louvre
• June 7 to September 10, 2018

A Dream Of Italy: – The Marquis Campana's Collection

For the first time in 160 years, the 19th-century's largest private collection (by Marquis Campana) featuring 10,000 items from archeological artefacts, paintings, sculptures, and objets d'art to masterpieces like the Sarcophagus of the Spouses will be on exhibit thanks to the collaboration of the Louvre and the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg. The exhibition will highlight the seminal role of Italian culture during the 19th century.

• Louvre
• October 18, 2018 to January 28, 2019

Color Engraving in Europe in the 16th and 17th Centuries

Culled from French collections and institutions abroad, this exhibition will showcase a panorama of color engraving from leading masters of the Renaissance. Color wood engravings, known as chiaroscuro in Italy (1500 to 1650), imparted a subtle nuance of color and were early explorations of light, shade, line, and chromatic values.

• Sully Wing, Louvre
• October 2018 to January 2019

Museum Exhibitions at Musée d'Orsay in 2018

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.

Degas, Danse, Dessin – A Tribute to Degas

On the centenary of the death of Edgar Degas (1834-1917), the exhibition pays tribute with his lesser – known works.

• Musée d'Orsay
• Ends February 25, 2018
• Museum Website…

Wild Souls – Symbolism in the Art of the Baltic States

The exhibition presents Baltic Symbolism from the 1890s to the 1920s. And who doesn't love a bracing dose of Baltic Symbolism? Hands, please.

• Musée d'Orsay
• April 10 to July 15, 2018
• Museum Website……

In Colour – Polychrome Sculpture in France

Fifty works on display exploring polychrome art. In case you don't know your French art history, polychrome is a technique where painted waxes are added to sculpture.

• Musée d'Orsay
• June 11 to September 23, 2018
• Museum Website…

Picasso. Blue and Rose.

Previously unseen works from Picasso's blue and rose periods are the result of the first large-scale collaboration between the Louvre and the Picasso Museum Paris

• Musée d'Orsay
• September 18 to January 6, 2019
• Museum Website…

Renoir Father & Son – Painting & Cinema

The exhibition explores the artistic relationship between Pierre-Auguste Renoir and his son Jean Renoir through paintings, film clips, photographs, drawings and documents — many on display for the first time.

• Musée d'Orsay
• November 6, 2018 to January 27, 2019
• Museum Website…

Museum Exhibitions at Centre Pompidou in 2018

It's been 41 years since the opening of the Pompidou and, while not as magnificent as the 40th anniversary celebrations last year, there are some fascinating exhibits for modern art fans planned for 2018. The year kicks off with the final days of the André Derain exhibition and continues mid-year with a showing about the the Russian avant-garde featuring Chagall.

André Derain 1904 to 1914 – The Radical

A new look at the work of this major artist of the 20th century, tracing the stages of his career before the war, when the painter participated in the most radical avant-garde movements.

• Centre Pompidou
• Ends January 29, 2018
• Website…

History of L'Atelier Brancus

The studio of this Romanian painter was reproduced in 1997 on the place facing Centre Pompidou to accommodate its collection of of 137 sculptures, 87 bases, 41 drawings, two paintings, and more than 1,600 photographic plates and prints.

• Centre Pompidou
• Ends December 30, 2019
• Website…

Jean Echenoz –

This installation explores the work of the French Novelist through photographs & memorabilia. Free entrance.

• BPI Library, Centre Pompidou
• Ends March 5, 2018
• Website…

Hors Pistes 2018 – The Nation and its Fiction

During this annual multidisciplinary event, artists and thinkers are invited to reflect, imagine and produce. This year, Hors Pistes has chosen to question nations and their fictions. Free entrance.

• Forum 1, Centre Pompidou
• January 19 to February 4, 2018
• Website…

Jim Dine – Paris Reconnaissance

• Centre Pompidou
• February 14 to April 23, 2018
• Website…

Sheila Hicks – Lifelines

• Centre Pompidou
• February 7 to April 30, 2018
• Website…

Broomberg & Chanarin – Divine Violence

• Centre Pompidou
• February 21 to May 21, 2018
• Website…

David Goldblatt – South African Photographer

• Centre Pompidou
• February 21 to May 7, 2018
• Website…

L'Oeil Écoute

• Centre Pompidou
• Ends April 16, 2018
• Website…

Chagall, Lissitzky, Malévitch

The Russian Avant-Garde in Vitebsk (1918 to 1922)

• Centre Pompidou
• March 28 to July 26, 2018
• Website…

Musée du Quai Branley Exhibitions 2018

Dedicated to the study of mankind and the world, the Quai Branley 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 Branley. 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.

Before the Incas — Gods and Kings in Ancient Peru

Witness an archaeological investigation into the evolution of the Incan Civilization with 300 unique authentic artefacts unearthed from 1,500 years ago.

• Musée du Quai Branley
• Ends April 1, 2018
• Website…

Paintings from Afar

200 never-before-seen works demonstrate the evolution of the Western perception of distant and not-so-distant populations, societies and territories.

• Musée du Quai Branley
• January 30 2018 to January 6, 2019
• Website…

Ghosts & Hells – The Underworld In Asian Art

• Musée du Quai Branley
• April 10 to July 15, 2018
• Website…

The Little Explorer's Box of Delights

An examination of how French popular culture has portrayed foreign societies to the youngest members of society.

• Musée du Quai Branley
• May 22 to October 7, 2018
• Website…

Petit Palais Exhibitions 2018

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 Le 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!

The Art of Pastel – From Degas to Redon

From its collection of more than 200 pastels, the Petit Palais is presenting a selection for the first time, offering an overview of the artistic themes of the mid-19th century, from Impressionism to Symbolism.

• Petit Palais
• Ends April 8, 2018
• Website…

Jeu de Paume

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 Musee d'Orsay opened in 1986, it's 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.

Susan Meiselas – Mediations

• Jeu de Paume
• February 6 To May 20, 2018
• Website…

Lucien Hervé – Geometry of light

• Jeu de Paume
• Ends May 27, 2018
• Website…

Gordon Matta-Clark – Anarchitect

• Jeu de Paume
• June 5 to September 23, 2018
• Website…

Dorothea Lange

This is one you don't want to miss!

• Jeu de Paume
• October 16 to January 21, 2019
• Website…

Alejandro Cesarco

• Jeu de Paume
• October 16, 2018 toJanuary 21, 2019
• Website…

MEP – Maison Européene de la Photographie

Wow, that name's a mouthful. We simply call it MEP and it's a hidden gem in the Marais. It makes for a wonderful destination and a great place to spend a few hours admiring modern photography. During 2018, MEP features photography exhibitions honoring Pierre Passebon, Nino Miglori, and the winners of the Eurazeo competition.

Other Paris Museum Exhibitions – 2018

Irving Penn Retrospective – Grand Palais

• Ends January 29, 2018
• Website…
• Our Guide to the Grand Palais…

Picasso in 1932 – Musée Picasso

• Ends February 11, 2018
• Website…
• Our Guide to the Musée Picasso…

Guernica – Musée Picasso

• March 27 to July 29, 2018
• Website…

Real & Imaginary Depictions of the Orient – Musée Delacroix

This exhibition is dedicated to the Orient, as understood and depicted by Eugene Delacroix. See the links between his artistic representation and history.

• January 11 to April 2, 2018
• Website…
• Our Guide to Musée Delacroix…

Corot – Painting the Human Figure – Musée Marmottan Monet

Famous for his landscapes, Camille Corot was also n prolific painter of figures. See 60 of his nudes and portraits.

• February 8 to July 8, 2018
• Website…
• Our Guide to Musée Marmottan Monet…

Margiela, Belgian Fashion Designer – Palais Galliera

• March 3 to July 15, 2018
• Website…
• Our Guide to Palais Galliera…

Mary Cassatt, American Impressionist In Paris – Musée Jacquemart André

• March 9 to July 23, 2018
• Website…
• Our Guide to Musée Jacquemart André…

The Water Lilies, American Abstract Art and the Last Monet – Musée de l'Orangerie

• April 13 to- August 20, 2018
• Website…
• Our Guide to Musée Jacquemart André…