When Fashion Week comes to Paris, style spills out of the venues and onto the streets, turning the whole city into a stage. As well as the catwalk shows, there are exhibitions, intimate dinners, concept stores and other unexpected events that are well worth a visit. To help you navigate it all, we’ve put together a short guide to the must-see events and places. Think of it as your insider’s map to experiencing Paris at its most dynamic.
Clair-obscur
March 4th–August 25th, 2026
Bourse de Commerce
Clair-Obscur transforms the Bourse de Commerce into a study of light, shadow and perception. Curated by Emma Lavigne, the exhibition traces how artists, from modern masters to contemporary practitioners, engage darkness as a lens on the present. Works from the Pinault Collection, alongside historic modernist pieces, explore chiaroscuro not just as technique, but as a philosophical device. Victor Man’s muted canvases and Bill Viola’s meditative figures draw viewers into a dialogue between visible forms and hidden depths. Pierre Huyghe’s Camata anchors the Rotunda, offering a ritualistic reflection on humanity’s place between day and night.
MEMORIAL FOUNDATION/Licensed by VAGA at ARTISTS RIGHTS SOCIETY (ARS), New York. Photography by THOMAS LANNES
The House on Utopia Parkway: Joseph Cornell’s Studio Re-Created by Wes Anderson
December 16th, 2025–March 14th, 2026
Gagosian Paris
The House on Utopia Parkway brings Joseph Cornell’s Queens studio to Paris for the first time in decades. Curated by Jasper Sharp and Wes Anderson, the exhibition transforms the gallery into a luminous, life-size shadow box. Key works, such as Pharmacy and Untitled (Pinturicchio Boy), highlight Cornell’s inventiveness and engagement with European art history. The installation includes hundreds of objects from Cornell’s “spare parts department,” emphasising his process of collection and assembly. The show captures the quiet poetry of his studio and his lasting influence on contemporary art.
Angels With Dirty Faces
January 22nd–March 15th, 2026
Acne Paper Palais Royal
On view at Acne Paper Palais Royal, Angels With Dirty Faces introduces a new body of work by Jordan Hemingway during Paris Fashion Week 2026. The exhibition frames his black-and-white photography as a study in contrasts, where sacred references meet raw physicality. Through ritualistic poses and charged compositions, Hemingway examines vulnerability, desire, and resistance in a world that feels increasingly unstable. The cast—Marina Abramović, Yves Tumor, Mariacarla Boscono, and Lewis G. Burton—appears as a procession of contemporary icons inhabiting his stark visual language. For the American-born, London-based artist, this first solo exhibition in Paris marks a decisive moment in a career shaped by both fashion and fine art.
Courtesy of ACNE PAPER
How do you feel?, 2024
Courtesy of JOEL QUAYSON
Joel Quayson — How do you feel?
February 11th–April 5th, 2026
La MEP
Joel Quayson’s debut solo exhibition at MEP Studio offers an intimate reflection on identity, awarded the 2025 Dior Prize for Photography and Visual Arts. Through video and photography, he examines the intersections of culture, religion, gender, and sexuality. In How do you feel? (2024), Quayson’s private performance confronts the gaze of the camera with quiet courage. Dance like no one is watching (2025) extends this exploration through movement, turning solitary dance into public expression. The exhibition creates a dialogue between vulnerability, self-discovery, and the pressures of external expectation.
How do you feel?, 2024
Courtesy of JOEL QUAYSON
Dance like no one is watching, Video, 2025
Courtesy of JOEL QUAYSON
Martin Parr: Global Warning
January 30th–May 24th, 2026
Le Jeu de Paume
The exhibition revisits Martin Parr’s iconic photography, assembling works that trace global life from the 1970s onward. His images document consumer culture, travel habits, and everyday excess with a dry, humorous gaze. Beneath the levity, Parr highlights the environmental and social consequences of modern living. Seen today, his work merges entertainment with incisive critique, affirming his place in the lineage of British satire.
Barkley L Hendricks, All is Portraiture
February 6th–April 4th, 2026
Marian Goodman, Paris
Marian Goodman Gallery Paris unveils All is Portraiture, celebrating Barkley L. Hendricks’ groundbreaking contribution to portraiture and contemporary art. Featuring works from over five decades, the exhibition balances intimate portraits with landscapes, basketball-inspired paintings, and abstract explorations of light and color.
Hendricks’ photographs, both documentary and inventive, demonstrate how his camera informed the composition and narrative of his paintings. From formal mastery to playful experimentation, his work foregrounds individuality and cultural specificity with striking clarity. Organized in collaboration with Hendricks’ estate and Jack Shainman Gallery, the show situates the artist as a transformative figure in global art history.
Architectural journey Frank Gehry
February 4th–April 12th, 2026
Fondation Louis Vuitton
Ahead of its April 15th, 2026 opening, the Fondation Louis Vuitton invites visitors to explore Gehry’s building and the permanent Architectural journey exhibition. The Studio showcases a scale model and widescreen drone videos, revealing the design and construction process in detail. Visitors can ascend the staircase, where exposed steel walls recall a ship’s hull, while terraces provide sweeping city views. Original sketches and technical displays highlight the creative vision of Gehry, Pritzker Prize laureate.
Carmen
Until March 19th, 2026
Opéra Bastille
Carmen returns to the Opéra Bastille in a vibrant production staged by Calixto Bieito, immersing audiences in the fiery world of Seville’s cigar makers, smugglers, and bullfighters. Stéphanie d’Oustrac and Victoria Karkacheva alternate as the seductive and rebellious heroine, while Russell Thomas and Jean‑François Borras portray the tormented Don José. Erwin Schrott embodies the toreador Escamillo, bringing his commanding presence and voice to the stage. Under Keri-Lynn Wilson, the Paris National Opera Orchestra enlivens Bizet’s score, from passionate arias to unforgettable melodies.
