Back-to-school rhymes with museum! Ultimate happiness of January: boosting your general culture thanks to fascinating new exhibits. And it must be said that the first chapter of 2025 has enough to make you thrilled. The monograph of an artist going against the grain at Centre Pompidou, a hyperrealist painting exhibit at Château de Versailles, the first presentation on the theme of couture at Musée du Louvre, a dazzlingly golden exhibit at Musée du Quai Branly, and the first appearance of Degenerate Art at Musée Picasso: a round-up of unmissable appointments to note absolutely in your calendars this winter.
The Most Feminist
The first Parisian monograph of Suzanne Valadon since 1967, the exhibit offered by Centre Pompidou is a true journey into the canvases of this iconic painter. Initially a beloved model of the Montmartre artists, she managed to impose herself against the current of her time and the rise of abstract art to assert her vision. Suzanne Valadon anchors herself in the glitz of the turn-of-the-century with its cafes and cabarets. Her specialty? Male and female nudes, revolutionary at that time for their purity without any voyeurism. The exhibit benefits from absolutely incredible loans from the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art in New York: don’t miss it!
Suzanne Valadon, Centre Pompidou, place Georges Pompidou, Paris 4e. From January 15 to May 26. Entry at €17.
The Most Hyperrealist
Guillaume Bresson, an iconic figure of contemporary French painting, unveils his works displayed in none other than Château de Versailles. Adorning the walls of the Salles d’Afrique, which recount the violent colonial conquests of Louis-Philippe, his works tackle a very particular subject. His hyperrealist paintings depict combat scenes with religious and historical references that blend perfectly with the canvases of the Versailles collection. It feels like looking at photographs given the precise brushwork of Guillaume Bresson! A stunning exhibit in one of the most beautiful locations near Paris.
Guillaume Bresson, Château de Versailles, place d'Armes, Versailles 78000. From January 21 to May 25. Entry at €10.
The Most Haute Couture
When we think couture, we often imagine clothing and runway shows. The Musée du Louvre invites us to delve deeper into this notion of couture, not just through attire (there are, however, stunning pieces by Chanel, Balenciaga, and Givenchy) but also through decor and tapestry. Louvre Couture, the first exhibit at the Louvre focusing on fashion, spans 9,000 m² and showcases textile and fashion art pieces, from the golden era of Byzantium to the finest houses of French Haute Couture. An unmissable, one-of-a-kind exhibit that offers the perfect excuse to revisit the most beautiful museum in the world.
Louvre Couture. Objets d'art, objets de mode, Musée du Louvre, Paris 1er. From January 24 to July 21. Entry at €22.
The Most Dazzling
What is the common thread between the Maghreb, Japan, the Middle Eastern countries, India, and China? The richness of gold-embroidered costumes. All the dazzling pieces displayed at the Musée du Quai Branly are woven, embroidered, or adorned with this precious material that inspires so much desire. From the ancient Orient with its sublime garments (where gold signified the highest social status) to the Haute Couture of recent decades (the iconic gold dress from the Spring-Summer 2004 collection by Galliano for Dior is a highlight), Au Fil de l'Or is a true journey into the heart of textiles and glitter.
Au fil de l'or. L’art de se vêtir de l’Orient au Soleil-Levant, Musée du Quai Branly - Jacques Chirac, 37 quai Jacques Chirac, Paris 7e. From February 11 to July 6. Entry at €14.
The Most Unsettling
Picasso is the archetype of the degenerate artist, with his strange and often dark paintings. The Musée Picasso offers a deep exploration of Modern Art that is completely offbeat, born from the horrors of World War I, and labeled as “Degenerate Art” by the Nazis. The first exhibit in France dedicated to this movement, L'art "dégénéré". Le procès de l'art moderne sous le nazisme, retraces the systematic attack carried out by the Nazi regime against this artistic current and its creators. On the program: Otto Dix, Kandinsky, Paul Klee, and Kirchner, whose works are displayed with the intent to disturb visitors.
L'art "dégénéré". Le procès de l'art moderne sous le nazisme, Musée Picasso Paris, 5 rue de Thorigny, Paris 3e. From February 18 to May 25, 2025. Entry at €16.
Also discover the must-watch series of January and our literary favorites of the season.
