Note to readers: Paris currently has a 9pm curfew. All shops are now open, as are art galleries, museums, cinemas and theaters. Restaurants, cafés and bars are allowed to serve only on outdoor terraces. Book in advance, since numbers are restricted. See below for both online and live events.
May 29-June 13
Free Urban Art
Thirty-six emerging urban artists display work in competition for the Prix d’Art Urbain Pébéo.
Fluctuart, Paris
May 27-30
Brand new art fair
Menart is the first international modern and contemporary art fair devoted to artists from the Middle East and North Africa. Above: Street Prayer by Moroccan artist Yoriyas © Yoriyas and 193 Gallery.
Cornette de Saint Cyr, Paris
May 29
Eco-Swim
Four swimmers will swim the length of the Seine (380km), symbolically tracing the journey taken by a cigarette butt thrown on the ground in the city. They represent O Mégot, a campaign to encourage Parisians to throw their butts in the bin, not on the ground, for the benefit of the planet. Swimmers depart at 4:30 pm on May 29.
Pont d’Iéna, Paris
Through October 13
Natural history
Artists’ covers for an imagined Paris magazine modeled on The New Yorker chart the history of Paris’s Jardin des Plantes museum for the exhibition The Parisianer, Chroniques du Muséum.
Jardin des Plantes, Paris
June 4-13
(Very) Short film festival
Festival Très Court returns for its 23rd edition, featuring films under four minutes long.
Various locations and Online
June 1-5
More short films
More short films on show at the Festival Le Court en dit Long.
Centre Wallonie-Bruxelles Paris and Cité Internationale des Arts, Paris
Through July 10
Napoleon’s Paris
Métamorphoses d’une Ville is an exhibition on the fence around the Madeleine Church on the transformations the city underwent under Napoleon’s reign, on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of his death.
Madeleine, Paris
June 1-10
Art in the streets
For the 20th edition of Parcours Saint-Germain, the festival takes to the streets. Contemporary art will be exhibited throughout the quartier of Saint-Germain, in the streets, on the walls and in the galleries.
Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Paris
May 29-30
Grand re-opening
The Musée National des Arts Asiatiques presents a packed program of events for two weekends: contemporary installations, activities for children and families, and chances to win prizes.
Musée National des Arts Asiatiques, Paris
Through June 4
Jazz!
Festival Jazz à Saint-Germain-des-Prés is back for a digital edition, with concerts, dance and more streaming online.
Online
Through May 31
Women of film
Portraits of trailblazing female directors hang on the railings of the Hòtel de Ville for Les Femmes S’Emparent du Cinéma.
Hòtel de Ville, Paris
Through 9 June
Les Chats des Champs-Elysées
Twenty comical, surreal sculptures of Belgian cartoonist Philippe Geluck’s famous “Le Chat” line the Champs-Elysées for Le Chat Déambule.
Les Champs-Elysées, Paris
Through June 4
Jazz!
Festival Jazz à Saint-Germain-des-Prés is back for a digital edition, with concerts, dance and more streaming online.
Online
Through July 26
Iranian film
Iranian film director Abbas Kiarostami is celebrated in a retrospective of his work.
Centre Pompidou, Paris
Through June 6
Corps pur
For Les Corps Purs, each featured artist made drawings using a single medium. Above: one of Katerina Christidi’s untitled charcoal-on-canvas drawings. Click here to reserve.
Centre d’Arts Plastiques, 20,coursive Georges Mélliès, Aubervilliers
Through May 30
Free photography
Six exhibitions of work by renowned Italian photographer Frank Horvat will be on display in the streets of Vincennes in lieu of the canceled Vincennes Images Festival.
Vincennes, Île-de-France
June 11-18
Abstract art
Painter Charles Giai-Gischia presents a group of recent works in the exhibition Pentimento: l’Espace Raccommodé.
Au Quize, 15 avenue Parmentier, Paris
May 30
French movies with English subtitles
Lost in Frenchlation presents Énorme (Enormous), directed by Sophie Letourneur .
Club de L’Étoile, Paris
Ongoing
A poet’s life
The Musée Paul Valéry presents a series of 15 videos, posting daily, celebrating the life of the poet, author and writer Paul Valéry.
Online
Through June 27
Online exhibition
Les Beaux-Arts de Paris presents Le Dessin Romantique, a selection of drawings from the collection of Jean Bonna. Free to view online.
Online
Ongoing
Stroll through Baudelaire’s Paris
Follow this guided walk through the Paris locations that shaped the life of famed poet and Parisian Charles Baudelaire on the occasion of his 200th birthday.
Various locations, Paris
Through July 4
Women’s Paintings
Virtual tour of the Musée de Luxembourg’s exhibition Women Painters 1780-1830.
Online
Ongoing
Napoleon takes center stage
Exhibitions, reenactments, academic conferences, art – there’s something for everyone in the Chateau de Fontainebleau’s rich program of events commemorating the death of Napoleon on the island of Saint Helena 200 years ago.
Chateau de Fontainebleau, Île-de-France
Through September 2021
Lockdown life
Artist Jeanne Susplugas presents work reflecting on how our relationships with our homes have changed in the past year for Where My House Lives. The viewer is invited to peer through 12 windows, each showing an illustrated and narrated piece about a different person’s life and space.
Online
Ongoing
Online gallery
Galerie Templon presents a digital edition of Correspondances, the story of contemporary artist Gérard Garouste’s encounters with writer Franz Kafka and philosopher Marc-Alain Ouaknin.
Online
Ongoing
More online art
The Musée de Grenoble presents an online guided tour of an exhibition of work by Italian still-life painter Giorgio Morandi.
Online
Ongoing
Save the Musée de l’Éventail
A crowdfunding campaign is underway to help save the Musée de l’Éventail, Paris’s museum of fans and fan-making.
Online
Ongoing
Movies from Japan
The Maison Européenne de la Photographie is launching Les Soirées Ciné: each week, a film associated with its forthcoming exhibition, “Moriyama – Tomatsu : Tokyo,” will be streamed.
Online
Through May 28
Street art
For the 150th anniversary of the establishment of the Commune de Paris, the city presents a number of street art exhibitions throughout the arrondissements, starting with Nous la Commune, with art by Dugudus.
Paris, France
Through January 2022
Curated by artists
Twenty-four exhibitions conceived and curated by students at the École de Beaux-Arts will be on show for the next 10 months for Le Théâtre des Expositions. The first five exhibitions can be viewed through photographs online until the coronavirus situation changes.
Online
Ongoing
Live from the Louvre
The Musée de Louvre presents a program of events – concerts and conferences about the museum’s history and collections and – streamed live on the Louvre Youtube channel.
Online
Through June 18, 2021
Online photography exhibition
The Grand Palais and Bibliothèque Nationale present an online version of their Noir et Blanc exhibition, charting the evolution and significance of monochrome photography. In French only. Price: €4/€8.
Online
Through May 31
Open-air gallery
Bercy Village presents an exhibition of 30 posters from the career of celebrated French comic actor Louis de Funès, free to view throughout the shopping village.
Bercy Village, Paris
Ongoing
Art behind the scenes
For L’Oeil du Parcours, Parcours Saint-Germain presents weekly Instagram Lives with artists from studios and private exhibitions.
Online
Ongoing
Cultural events on TV
France Télévision is launching Culturebox, a new TV channel that will broadcast live and recorded cultural events.
France
Ongoing
Live performance
The Théatre de la Ville presents a series of dance, theater and music shows, broadcast live on YouTube.
Online
Ongoing
Guided tour
The Musée du Quai Branly presents a three-part guided tour of the major exhibition “The Olmecs and the Civilizations of the Gulf of Mexico” via Youtube.
Online
Ongoing
All about Alberto Giacometti
With museums remaining closed for the time being, L’Institut Giacometti presents a range of background videos, roundtables and performances related to its upcoming exhibition on the relationship between Swiss artist Alberto Giacometti and Samuel Beckett.
Online
Ongoing
Hidden film stars
The Musée Sacem presents an online exhibition, Devine Qui Vient Doubler?, focusing on those who do the work of dubbing and subtitling films.
Online
Ongoing
Poetry online
The Maison de la Poésie is hosting lectures, interviews and readings on its social media.
Online
Ongoing
Impressionism
The Festival Normandie Impressionisme invites viewers to revisit the festival through an online photo album.
Online
Ongoing
Art of Migration
Streaming of works by migrant artists in France from the postponed Festival Visions d’Exil.
Online
Ongoing
Women migrants’ history in pictures
The National Museum of Immigration presents online images of women migrants from the exhibition “Les Femmes en Mouvements.”
Online
Ongoing
Art on film
For 25 Arts Seconde, the Centre Wallonie-Bruxelles presents a series of films by and about artists.
Online
Ongoing
Photography in quarantine
The Maison Européenne de la Photographie presents masterclasses, lectures and interviews with artists on its website and social media while the gallery remains closed.
Online
Ongoing
Indie films
The Cinémathèque Française is screening some unusual films from its catalog online (free).
Online
Ongoing
Free classes on French topics
Pandemonium U presents free Zoom classes in English on such topics as the role of small French villages in helping refugees and the death of Resistance hero Jean Moulin.
Online
Ongoing
More art from home
The Centre Pompidou presents its first virtual exhibition, devoted to Miró.
Online
Ongoing
Get creative at home
The Centre Pompidou presents a wide range of videos, including visits to exhibitions, spotlights on artworks and periods, and a series for children.
Online
Ongoing
More art at home
The Palais de Tokyo offers interviews with artists and behind-the-scenes content on its YouTube channel for Palais à la Maison.
Online
Ongoing
More virtual art
The Grand Palais offers live lectures, virtual exhibitions and more on its website and social media.
Online
Ongoing
Paris museum podcasts
Brighten up a lockdown walk with a podcast produced by Paris Musées.
Online
Through June 2021
Discovering art history
Learn how to appreciate and analyze art in its historical context in a range of masterclasses offered by Les Paris de l’Art 2020/21.
Various locations, Paris & Online
Throughout Lockdown
French film with English subtitles
Lost in Frenchlation has teamed up with Eyelet so users can watch independent French films directly on its website. First film is free.