See our selection of must-see exhibitions starting this Wednesday

Culture and gastronomy are what makes the heart of Paris beat so intensely. On 19th May, café terraces and museums will be re-opening (at last!) after the months of confinement…. the first joyful steps of lifting lockdown. We have chosen the best exhibitions to see, the ones we enjoy as much as you, starting on Wednesday.

How Signac liberated colour at Musée Jacquemart-André

The Musée Jacquemart André re-opens with an exhibition of works by one of the masters of Neo-Impressionism, Paul Signac. The exhibition retraces his painting career chronologically, from the initial influence of Claude Monet to his encounter with Georges Seurat in 1884, before finally coming into his own and gradually creating more and more colourful works.
From 19th May to 19th July 2021

The Origins of the World: The Invention of Nature in the 19^th Century at Musée d’Orsay

The Musée d’Orsay is presenting an exhibition relating how Art and Natural Sciences intersected, in partnership with the National Natural History Museum. The many scientific discoveries of the 19th century caused upheaval and raised questions about our origins, inspiring the artists of the day to create their own representations of the evolution subjects.
From 19th May to 18th July 2021

Photographer Girault de Prangey (1804-1892) at Musée d’Orsay

Back to beginnings of photography in France. A hundred-odd "daguerreotypes*" are on show, taken between 1842 and 1844, "during a trip around the Mediterranean from Italy to Egypt, with stops in Greece, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Jerusalem and Palestine". (* Photographic process producing an image without a negative on a sheet of silver, polished to a mirror finish and directly exposed to light, invented by Louis Daguerre)
From 19th May to 11th July 2021

Swiss Modernities (1890-1914) at Musée d’Orsay

The artistic scene in Switzerland was particularly vibrant towards the end of the 19th century. The exhibition sheds light on this little-known period and production with 70 works by artists who profoundly altered the Art of their time, such as Cuno Amiet, Giovanni and Augusto Giacometti, Felix Vallotton, Ernest Bieler and Max Buri.
From 19th May to 25th July 2021

Women in Abstraction at Centre Pompidou

The Centre Pompidou is paying tribute to female artists' contribution to Abstract Art between 1960 and 1980 with +500 works by 106 artists. Learn more about these artists who were sometimes, quite unfairly, never mentioned in the history of Art.
From 19th May to 23rd August 2021

Women Painters 1780-1830. The Birth of a Battle at Musée du Luxembourg

Another exhibition paying tribute to women artists. This one focuses on a period from 1780-1830, which built the foundations for 19th century feminine Art through access to training, professionalism, existence in the eye of the public and a place on the Art market.
From 19th May to 4th July 2021

Vollard, Petiet and the stamp of masters at Petit Palais

An exhibition presenting Ambroise Vollard, the unusual late 19th century art dealer and his successor Henri Petiet. Both Vollard and Petiet stood out due to their choices, considered bold at the time, to promote artists such as Cézanne, Gauguin and the young Picasso. The exhibition focuses on the printed works and illustrated books they specialised in.
From 19th May to 29th August 2021

"Uderzo, like a magic potion" at Musée Maillol

Were you an Astérix and Obélix fan as a child? See Albert Uderzo's work in this well-documented exhibition presenting +300 original works, some of which are on show for the very first time.
From 27th May to 30th September 2021

Dali - the endless enigma at l’Atelier des Lumières

Salvador Dali's works come to life in the stunning exhibition hall. See the works evolving in a surrealist, 33ft high decor reflecting the painter's creative strength; roaring tigers, imaginary creatures and Dali's obsession for his wife and muse Gala.
From 19th May 2021 to 2^nd January 2022

Magritte / Renoir. Surrealism in full Sunlight at Musée de l’Orangerie

The museum's exhibition showcases a largely unknown chapter of René Magritte's work. Between 1941 and 1947, backed by the belief the Nazis would soon lose the war, Magritte decided to explore "the brighter side of life" producing a solar style, inspired by impressionists such as Renoir and Seurat, which is known as his "Renoir period".
From 19th May to 19th July 2021