NewsMemorials
France's planned slavery memorial on hold over debate about naming 200,000 freed slaves
Shortlisted proposals by artists including Adrian Piper, Julien Creuzet and duo Sammy Baloji and Emeka Ogboh did not adequately adhere to the requirements, campaign group says
NewsMuseums
Musée d’Orsay in Paris renamed after late French president Valéry Giscard d’Estaing
The formal name change—an administrative move—also means the Muséee de l’Orangerie will be rebranded
NewsArt market
Selling, selling, sold...and sold again. The truth about the bungled sale of a Van Gogh at Sotheby's
Rare painting of a Montmartre street scene sold three times in the same auction
BlogAdventures with Van Gogh
Bought for around $1,000, now worth $10m: where was the newly unveiled Van Gogh landscape hidden away?
Montmartre windmill painting is on view with Sotheby’s for the first time since it left the easel
NewsMuseums & Heritage
Centre Pompidou will close from the end of 2023 for three-year renovation
The plan is to finish essential maintenance on the building in time for its 50th anniversary in 2027
NewsCommercial galleries
Galleria Continua opens new Paris space with JR-curated show
Amid Covid-19 pandemic, Italian gallery hopes to "generate smiles" with second outpost in France
NewsParis
Champs Élysées—one of Paris’s most polluted roads—to be transformed into ‘extraordinary garden’
The major avenue will undergo a €250m makeover to restore its former splendour, following the 2024 Summer Olympics
PreviewPinault Collection
Bourse de Commerce: opening of Pinault's long-awaited Paris museum is—pandemic permitting—finally around the corner
Two decades since the billionaire started planning a home for his collection in the French capital, the spectacular space is due to open on 23 January
NewsExhibitions
Botticelli bonanza in Paris next year with major show of masterpieces
New exhibition at Musée Jacquemart-André presents 15th-century artist as an entrepreneur and prolific designer
NewsCathedral of Notre Dame
Clearing the 'voice' of Notre Dame: Paris cathedral's great organ meticulously removed for refurbishment
Huge operation to hoist the instrument out of the fire-ravaged building has taken four months
NewsExhibitions
Vivian Maier, reclusive nanny turned photographer, gets biggest ever show in Paris next year
Unseen works and Super 8 films reveal new aspects of her practice
NewsPublic art
Anselm Kiefer makes first new works for Paris's Pantheon in almost a century
President Emmanuel Macron chose the German artist for the commission that commemorates the French writer and First World War soldier Maurice Genevoix
NewsArt market
Asia Now fair swoops up would-be Fiac exhibitors
Paris fair makes up for lack of Asia-based exhibitors with some blue chip galleries who were meant to be participating at the larger, cancelled fair
FeatureBook Club
Judge a book by its cover: Centre Pompidou looks at Henri Matisse through a literary lens for new show
One of the most expansive museum surveys on the French artist in 50 years will present his book and magazine designs—and even some of his own writing
NewsArt market
Fancy a free Takashi Murakami work? Perrotin gallery launches art treasure hunt in Paris
French gallery is hiding 20 valuable works in the empty nave of the Grand Palais—and the public have 48 hours to find them and take them home
NewsFashion
How about an €8m Chanel makeover? Paris fashion museum reopens with help of luxury brand
Palais Galliera opens its doors during a hybrid physical and digital Paris fashion week with a major Chanel exhibition
NewsMuseums & Heritage
Centre Pompidou could close for three years for 'essential' renovations
French government also considering option of a seven-year overhaul that would allow the Paris gallery to stay partially open
NewsArt market
Controversy erupts over Fiac cancellation
Paris's major contemporary art fair has been scrapped due to Covid-19 fears, but galleries are divided over whether the decision was wise or "lacking courage"
NewsCathedral of Notre Dame
Saving Notre Dame's 'voice': mammoth restoration begins on cathedral's fire-damaged organ
Beginning today, the piece by piece removal and cleaning of the instrument is the latest stage of the building's reconstruction
NewsClosures
Artist Kader Attia 'heartbroken' as Covid-19 forces closure of his decolonial Paris art hub
The French-Algerian is now looking for a new, smaller space in the city's suburbs
AnalysisCathedral of Notre Dame
Where we are now with the restoration of Notre Dame after the rejection of modern architectural gestures
An insider report from the site on the latest discoveries and re-building techniques
NewsMuseums
Montreal Museum of Fine Arts placed on 'concerned status' over sacking of director
Canada Council for the Arts will monitor the crisis following Nathalie Bondil’s dismissal, which could put the museum's public funding at risk
NewsProtests
Protestors seize African artefact from Paris's Quai Branly museum in bid to 'bring to Africa what was taken'
Five demonstrators will go to court on charges of theft
NewsArt market
Historic Tunisian items withdrawn from Paris auction after heritage body claims works left country illegally
More than 100 objects once belonging to the Tunisian politician Habib Djellouli, including an ancient Quran, are at the centre of the controversy
NewsMuseums
French museums reveal plans to re-open in June and July
Louvre is "is working towards a planned reopening on 6 July" with strict rules for social distancing and 70% of the museum open to the public
NewsControversies
Director of France’s national furniture collection defends plans to sell 100 items at auction to aid healthcare workers
Move prompts fears that works from national museum collections could be sold off too
NewsOpenings
Opening of Pinault's grand new gallery in Paris delayed until 2021 as France extends lockdown
Originally scheduled to open in June this year and then postponed until September, new government measures to contain Covid-19 add further delays to the Bourse de Commerce space
NewsCathedral of Notre Dame
Germany offers help in restoring Notre Dame's stained-glass windows
German cathedral glass workshops have the expertise and experience necessary to undertake the restoration
FeatureCathedral of Notre Dame
Anniversary of Notre-Dame fire: it's safe, but big decisions need to be taken as Covid-19 halts restoration
Rebuilding the roof will be among the main challenges, and the reconstruction of the spire will be among the most controversial
NewsAuctions
Charity auction raises more than €2m for French healthcare workers
Paris-based auction house Piasa hosted online sale of 370 works donated by artists, designers and galleries
NewsArt market
La Biennale Paris relies on government funding bailout to support dealers during coronavirus crisis
Exhibitors at the art and antiques fair in September will not have to pay the usual advance deposit and allowed to spread out payment over four months
Newscoronavirus
Patrick Devedjian—French politician and driving force behind new museum dedicated to the Sun King—has died of coronavirus
Devedjian was leading plans for a museum project in Saint-Cloud, west of Paris, about the reign of Louis XIV
NewsCathedral of Notre Dame
Notre Dame reconstruction halted because of stringent coronavirus measures
Plans to remove the scaffolding around the fire-damaged cathedral have been put on hold
Newscoronavirus
Paris fairs scramble dates in light of coronavirus outbreak
Salon du dessin contemporain has rescheduled its dates while Salon du Dessin organisers are in discussion about whether to still open later this month
NewsMusee d'Orsay
Anonymous €20m donation kickstarts Musée d’Orsay transformation
Radical revelopment of former train station building will make way for more Impressionist works and visitors
Newscoronavirus
Louvre reopens after closing because of coronavirus
The Paris museum held talks with union officials yesterday
NewsArt market
Leading French auctioneer François Tajan dies, aged 57
The deputy chairman of the Paris-based auction house Artcurial was suffering from food poisoning
NewsArt market
New digital art fair in Paris hopes to attract tech tycoons
Cadaf Paris claims to be Europe's only fair dedicated to new media and will coincide with Vivatech conference in June
NewsFrieze Los Angeles 2020
Climate change fundraisers and a new space for Perrotin: dispatches from Frieze Los Angeles
Plus, Sprüth Magers's Los Angeles outpost will host a posthumous survey of John Baldessari’s last painting series
PreviewExhibitions
Paris exhibition shines light on Brazilian photographer Claudia Andujar and the plight of indigenous peoples
As the Yanomani way of life is threatened once again, we hear from the photographer ahead of a major show at the Fondation Cartier
NewsAppointments
Nazi loot expert joins Louvre to investigate its wartime acquisitions
Hire of French art historian Emmanuelle Polack suggests a more proactive stance on Nazi-era provenance research at Paris museum
NewsMuseums & Heritage
Five years after Charlie Hebdo attack, France plans centre dedicated to satirical cartoons
In honour of the victims and to promote the medium, the French culture ministry will create "a meeting, training and exhibition place"
NewsPalais de Tokyo
Artists criticise Palais de Tokyo partnership with Qatari museum over LGBTQ rights
Mathaf's guest show at Paris contemporary art centre marks Qatar-France 2020 Year of Culture
NewsInstagram
What if 19th-century artists had used Instagram? asks Musée d’Orsay's new artist-in-residence
French illustrator and painter Jean-Philippe Delhomme will post a new image on Paris museum's Instagram account every week for a year
NewsPhotography
Double exposure: new Paris venue to unveil two historic photography collections
Exhibition space will show and sell digital reproductions of images from the archives of the Roger-Viollet agency and France-Soir newspaper
NewsPreview
Matisse birth anniversary marked by blockbuster show at the Centre Pompidou
Rarely seen works show how the modern master combined text and image
AnalysisThe Year in Review 2019
King Tut’s golden year, Koons’s worst: the highs and lows of the art world in 2019
As Notre Dame burned, protestors called the shots and a gold toilet vanished, it was certainly a year to remember
NewsParis
Special delivery: Musée de la Poste reopens in Paris—with art to boot
Museum's little known, 6,000-strong Modern and contemporary art collection includes a ball gown made of 2,000 stamps
NewsMonnaie de Paris
Monnaie de Paris venue cancels its contemporary art programme
Show dedicated to Kiki Smith will be last exhibition at the historic Paris Mint due to low visitor numbers
NewsArt market
UK buyer bags Artemisia Gentileschi painting for a record €4.8m in Paris
Work depicting Roman heroine Lucretia was in a private collection for 40 years
PreviewExhibitions
Christian Boltanski’s labyrinth: Centre Pompidou show takes viewers on an immersive journey
Plans for the French artist’s retrospective show he is still open to taking risks and charting new territory
ReviewArt market
Also Known As Africa fair draws crowds but lacks big galleries—for now
Parisian fair dedicated to contemporary African art is gaining momentum in its fourth edition
PreviewFairs
Paris Photo turns its lens on youth in preparation for 2020 New York launch
Photography fair opens this week in French capital with a section focussing on marginalised artists
NewsPhotography
JR launches open call on Instagram for his new free photography course
French artist says he will invite Naomi Campbell to school in Paris to help him teach 12 budding photographers
NewsGrand Palais
Paris to build temporary venue near Eiffel Tower to host Grand Palais's shows when it closes in 2021
Culture chief Chris Dercon says the new space will hold events during the museum's three-year refurbishment, including a collaboration with Unesco
NewsArt market
Billionaires battle it out over the Lalannes at Sotheby’s in Paris
Jose Mugrabi and Antoine Arnault among collectors bidding at "white glove" sale of works by François-Xavier and Claude Lalanne
ReviewExhibitions
Three exhibitions to see in Paris this weekend
The best shows to see outside of Fiac, from a literary contextualisation of Francis Bacon to Kiki Smith's coin collection
NewsFiac
Fiac fever: amidst Brexit drama, we ask 'virgin' dealers why they chose the Paris fair this year
Galleries fresh to the 46th edition explain their decision and reveal their early sales
NewsCentre Pompidou
Centre Pompidou to expand and move collections to new satellite venue in southern Paris
The “art factory” will be a conservation, exhibition and storage space and is expected to open in 2025
PreviewArt fairs
'Revitalised' Paris gets its mojo back for Fiac art fair
Yayoi Kusama will display her largest ever public work for the French fair opening this week
NewsExhibitions
Damien Hirst’s Cherry Blossom paintings to go on show at the Fondation Cartier in Paris next year
Former YBA has been back in the studio painting for the past two years
NewsArt market
Imane Farès drops out of new Paris gallery complex
Gallery was due to take a space in Komunuma, housed in a 1940s former manufacturing plant in Romainville, a north eastern suburb
PreviewExhibitions
Paris exhibition to cast El Greco in new light
Survey at the Grand Palais aims to distance itself from the stereotypes usually associated with the artist
NewsExhibitions
Urs Fischer makes wax portrait of Leonardo DiCaprio and his family for Gagosian show
One edition of the work has already been set alight and will gradually melt away over the course of the exhibition
NewsOpenings
Paris Museum of Modern Art unveils €10m revamp of Art Deco home
Redesign by h2o architectes opens up 1930s building—with monumental murals by Matisse and Dufy—to disabled visitors
NewsPrivate Museums
François Pinault's long-awaited Paris gallery will open next June
The refurbishment of the Bourse de Commerce space, designed by Tadao Ando, costs $170m
NewsMusée du Louvre
Louvre defends planned switch to timed-entry tickets after Mona Lisa 'pandemonium'
Reservations will become mandatory at the world's most visited museum by the end of the year
NewsFrieze 2019
White Cube to open 'office and viewing rooms' in Paris
Launch is latest high-profile opening in the French capital pre-Brexit
NewsArt market
Gauguin Tahitian painting comes to auction in Paris from the walls of the Met
Te Bourao II (The Purao Tree), which has been in the same collection since 1995, is estimated to sell for €5m-€7m at Artcurial
AnalysisCathedral of Notre Dame
Inside Notre Dame: a blow-by-blow account of the restoration process
Five months on we look at the steps and measurements implemented by experts to start rebuilding the fire-ravaged cathedral
PreviewExhibitions
Thoroughly Modern Maharaja: how an Indian prince amassed one of the world’s greatest interwar design collections
Paris exhibition includes furniture by Eileen Gray, sculptures by Constantin Brancusi and photographs by Man Ray
NewsMusée du Louvre
Bad bedfellows? French politician blasts Louvre over partnership with Airbnb
Paris deputy mayor Ian Brossat says that teaming up with the online rental giant is “disastrous and shocking”
NewsMusée du Louvre
Louvre to train refugees as tour guides with funds from Saudi foundation
Supported by undisclosed donation from Alwaleed Philanthropies, French museum’s newly renovated Islamic galleries reopened this week
PreviewLeonardo da Vinci
Leonardo at the Louvre: an exclusive first look at this year's biggest blockbuster
We reveal the research and science behind the monograph exhibition exploring the Renaissance painter's artistic evolution
PreviewExhibitions
From blasphemer to bookworm: Paris show reframes Francis Bacon's later works
Exhibition at the Centre Pompidou focuses on the artist’s post-pope period, which has received less critical examination
NewsJeff Koons
Installation of Jeff Koons's controversial Bouquet of Tulips begins in Paris
The sculpture will now go on show near the Champs-Elysées, after previous location near the Palais de Tokyo was strongly opposed
AnalysisCathedral of Notre Dame
New law regarding Notre Dame says restoration must preserve its 'historic, artistic and architectural interest'
But attempts in the senate to ensure it will look as before the fire were dropped from the final version
NewsCommercial galleries
‘Grand Paris’: new art complex to open in Parisian suburb
Galleries such as Air de Paris and Fabienne Leclerc will relocate to a refurbished industrial space in Romainville
ArchiveMuseums & Heritage
A missing chapter in the history of the decorative arts: the Restoration and July Monarchy
Louvre-organised show at the Grand Palais of neglected period of production
NewsSackler family
Musée du Louvre removes all mention of Sackler name from its galleries following protests
Activist group Pain says Paris museum has taped over or taken down plaques dedicated to the eponymous family whose pharmaceutical company is accused of fuelling the US opioid crisis
NewsChâteau de Versailles
Château de Versailles buys back €4m royal commode that left France after Louvre missed its royal mark
The piece of furniture by Bernard II van Risenburgh, which left for the US almost four decades ago, was commissioned by Louis XV for his stepdaughter
NewsMuseums & Heritage
Banksy on a barge: world's first floating street art gallery makes waves on Paris's Seine
Moored besides the Pont des Invalides in Paris, Fluctuart will open with an exhibition by the Brooklyn-based artist Swoon
NewsMona Lisa
The Mona Lisa is on the move this summer at the Musée du Louvre
The Leonardo painting, which is seen by thousands of visitors each day, is temporarily leaving its home during renovations to the gallery
NewsCommissions
Olafur Eliasson commissioned to light up the Arc de Triomphe
Project is part of the City of Paris's programme of raising its image ahead of the 2024 Games
News
Louvre is 'suffocating' with high volume of visitors, striking workers say
Paris museum closed its doors after union officials protest about angry public and poor security measures
CommentNews
Notre Dame presents an opportunity for respect, not re-invention
News
Macron uses Notre Dame fire to urge unity amid ongoing protests
NewsExhibitions
Virtual reality tour offers glimpse of François Pinault’s long-awaited, grand Paris gallery
Exhibition at the Palazzo Grassi in Venice shows Tadao Ando’s designs for the Bourse de Commerce building
NewsCathedral of Notre Dame
Notre Dame: experts explain why Macron's five-year restoration deadline is impossible
Complex conservation issues mean it could easily take a decade or more to rebuild the Medieval cathedral
Podcast
The Notre Dame fire: what happens next? Plus, Cold War Steve
We talk about the effects of the fire at Notre Dame, the building’s history, and what happens next. And we speak to satirical artist Christopher Spencer, the man behind Cold War Steve. Produced in association with Bonhams, auctioneers since 1793.
NewsCathedral of Notre Dame
Artist Wim Delvoye enters design competition to reconstruct Notre Dame
The Belgian, known for his sculptures in a Northern European Gothic style, is already devising a new spire
NewsCathedral of Notre Dame
Nearly €1bn raised for Notre-Dame over two days
Several charitable and crowdfunding campaigns launched since the fire
NewsMuseums & Heritage
Fire destroys roof of Notre Dame cathedral in Paris
The spire has collapsed on the medieval landmark
NewsChristo
Christo to wrap the Arc de Triomphe in Paris
Artist has previously wrapped monuments such as the Reichstag in Berlin
BlogIn the frame
Go to bed with a smile—spend the night with Mona Lisa
NewsArt market
Historic Bernheim-Jeune and Fine Art Society galleries shut up shop
A sign of the times, two of London and Paris’s oldest firms closed their premises in the traditional art heartlands of the cities
NewsPolitics
Double Jeopardy? US dealer fights extradition to Poland, for the second time
Alexander Khochinsky’s lawyer calls the country’s actions over a €10,000 looted painting “aggressive and disproportionate” and says his client will not get a fair trial in the “illiberal democracy”
NewsTechnology
Paris digital art venue Atelier des Lumières is a hit, and expanding abroad
French museums operator Culturespaces has launched a space in South Korea and is planning another in Bordeaux in 2020
CommentArt Market Eye
Can Paris snatch the art market crown from London?
The French capital seems resurgent, but other elements may intervene
Georgina Adam