No need to queue for hours in front of the most popular museums of the capital to get a culture fix. It’s buzzing over at the art galleries, which currently feature free and ultra-inspiring exhibitions. On the program: a retrospective on the most beautiful fashion photographs of the last 50 years, colorful and supercharged paintings, 3D artworks that can be touched and manipulated at will, a journey into an almost-dream at the Collège des Bernardins, an exhibition on the life of a Resistance fighter… Shall we take you there?
The most fashionable
Oana Ivan, a lawyer by training, discovered a passion for the world of international, particularly French, fashion. Located a stone’s throw from the Élysée, her brand-new eponymous gallery has just opened its doors, with the first exhibiting artist being the immense photographer Peter Knapp. Not bad for a start, right?
It must be said that the material is there: the Swiss artist spent nearly half a century behind the lens of his camera, immortalizing the biggest names in fashion design and modeling. Artistic director of Elle magazine and collaborator with the greatest designers of our time (Yves Saint Laurent, André Courrèges, Thierry Mugler, Issey Miyake, Valentino, and other icons), he broke the codes of haute couture by focusing on staging the stars he photographed in a less "catalog-like" and freer spirit than his peers of the time. The black and white photographs of Azzedine Alaïa, Françoise Fabian, Loulou de la Falaise, Grace Jones elegantly adorn the walls of the Oana Ivan Gallery, much to our visual delight.
Peter Knapp. Countdown - 2024 -1960, Oana Ivan Gallery, 93 rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, Paris 8e, from January 17 to April 17, 2025.
The most colorful
Wondering what artworks mixing pop culture, action cinema, and comic books would look like? That’s the incredible mix presented by the new Idoles et Trésors exhibition by Hervé Di Rosa at the superb Galerie Templon, a gem nestled in the heart of the arty Marais district. Super playful art pieces that captivate both kids and adults.
On these ultra-colorful canvases: Christopher Columbus’s caravels, the underwater worlds of Jules Verne’s novels, Mayan temples, sumptuous Egyptian sarcophagi… a whole universe of mysterious stories that spark curiosity. His little characters, ranging from historical figures to four-eyed little monsters, sit at the crossroads of non-Western art, fine arts, and outsider art. The artist, on the edge of surrealism, is one of the founding members of the figuration libre movement. A true little journey into a wild and supercharged universe not to be missed.
Hervé Di Rosa. Idoles et Trésors, Galerie Templon, 30 rue Beaubourg, Paris 3e, from January 11 to March 1, 2025.
The most immersive
The Galerie Wagner inaugurated the exhibition in tribute to the Dutch artist Anneke Klein Kranenbarg on January 16. A gallery renowned for kinetic art (this movement consisting of works in motion), it offers an iconic exhibition for several reasons. At the Galerie Wagner, it’s possible to carefully manipulate the sublime creations of Anneke Klein Kranenbarg and walk around the pieces to admire their 3D aspects.
The Dutch artist, exhibited for 5 years at the gallery, places friendship at the absolute center of her art. As a result, the current exhibition also highlights artists who were close to Anneke Klein Kranenbarg: you can admire their explosive works, full of color and movement, ranging from 3D geometric shapes to video montages. The best part? Some pieces are available for sale, with a portion of the proceeds going to the Institut Curie to fund cancer research, in honor of Klein Kranenbarg, who passed away in 2024.
Tribute to Anneke Klein Kranenbarg, Galerie Wagner, 19 rue des Grands Augustins, Paris 6e, from January 16 to March 8, 2025.
The most dreamlike
The new exhibition offered at the Collège des Bernardins, nestled in the heart of the Latin Quarter, provides a true dreamlike journey through its 19 paintings, most of which were created for this occasion. Epiphanies, the exhibition by painter Augustin Frison-Roche, transports us from the depths of the night to the first light of dawn through a journey that winds between the sublime colonnades of the Collège’s nave.
Like the Wise Men near the Epiphany, visitors follow a route guided by the Star, from the nave to the former sacristy. Named in the plural, the exhibition’s title draws on the letter addressed to artists by Pope John Paul II in 1999: “To all those who, with passionate dedication, seek new epiphanies of beauty.” It is this beauty that the artist wants to reveal to the public, offering paintings centered on the themes of Creation, Nature, and animals. His pieces, in soft colors, are a true enchantment to savor without delay.
Epiphanies, Collège des Bernardins, 20 rue de Poissy, Paris 5e, from January 9 to February 26, 2025.
The most historical
Without a doubt, the Resistance fighters of World War II are among the most inspiring figures of the last century. Daniel Cordier, a lonely child and later a troubled teenager, became a great political activist and member of the Resistance under the orders of the one and only Jean Moulin, before sharing the memories of his eventful life in his explicit and original memoirs titled Rétro-Chaos.
To mark the publication of the final volume of these works, the Galerie Gallimard, located a stone’s throw from the Musée d’Orsay, is dedicating an exhibition to the life of Daniel Cordier. Biographer of Jean Moulin, collector, and contemporary art enthusiast, Cordier’s life is at the center of this exhibition, featuring highly diverse pieces. On display: self-portraits, handwritten letters from Jean Moulin, resistance leaflets distributed by Cordier… An exhibition not to be missed!
Daniel Cordier. Memoirs of a Life, Galerie Gallimard, 30 rue de l’Université, Paris 7e, from January 24 to March 15, 2025.
Also discover the 5 winter exhibitions to book absolutely and the splendid Dolce&Gabbana exhibition to see at the Grand Palais.
