Paris Art Spring 2026: What Not To Miss
text Eva Drakenberg
Birds singing, green trees dancing, and happy Parisians drinking wine in the sun at every single brasserie. Spring has fully sprung in Paris, which not only entails blooming tulips at the florists but also a full-on blossoming art scene. As the season draws to a close, a few current exhibitions are truly worth visiting. Explore recurring themes of light, chaos, female energy, and spiritual geometry.
Les Petites Aquarelles, n° 1,1908, aquarelle et crayon sur papier, 26 × 36 cm, HaK085. By courtesy of the Hilma af Klint Foundation – photo The Moderna Museet, Stockholm
LIGHT EXPLOSION
As spring arrives, we tend to crave more light in our lives, and a few shows offer exactly that. At the Bourse de Commerce, the Pinault Collection is presenting the striking Clair-Obscur, where over one hundred works explore the philosophical interplay of light and shadow. From Sigmar Polke’s unconventional postwar paintings and Wolfman Tilman’s photography, to Maria Martins’ sculptures, artists working across media transport you to new realities.
Meanwhile, across the Seine, the Musée d’Orsay offers a glimpse of Scandinavia with its temporary Northern Light exhibition. In a small room featuring eight paintings, artists such as the Swedish national romantic Carl Larsson capture the subjectivity of light. By visiting both shows, we allow a dialogue between the past and the contemporary. How is our relationship to light influenced by the ideas of our time?
Pinault Collection, Clair-obscur
Open now to August 24
View of the exhibition “Clair-obscur”, Bourse de Commerce – Pinault Collection, Paris, 2026. © Tadao Ando Architect & Associates, Niney et Marca Architectes, agence Pierre-Antoine Gatier. Photo: Nicolas Brasseur. I Pierre Huyghe. Camata. 2024. Robotic driven by machine learning, self-directed film, edited in real time by self-learning algorithms, sound, sensors. Pinault Collection. © Adagp, Paris, 2026
Musee D’Orsay- Northern Light
Open now to May 10
Carl Johan Forsberg. Pax, 1905. Musée d’Orsay. Achat, 2022. © Musée d’Orsay, dist. RMN-Grand Palais / Sophie Crépy
NAVIGATING CHAOS
How often have you heard “we live in such a crazy time” recently? Well, you are definitely not alone. As always, artists help us navigate difficult societal issues such as climate change and inequality. Find clarity, comfort, or discomfort through performative works by Paul McCarthy, photography through the lens of mass tourism by Martin Parr, and figurative paintings by Henry Taylor. These American and British contemporary artists navigate a turbulent world through their own artistic expressions.
Hauser & Wirth Gallery – Paul Mccarthy, SS EE Saint Santa Eva Elf
Open now to May 9
Installation view, ‘PAUL McCARTHY.SS EE SAINT SANTA EVA ELFDRAWING SESSIONS 2025WITH LILITH STANGENBERG,’Hauser &WirthParis,2026.© Paul McCarthy. Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth. Photo: Nicolas Brasseur
Jeu De Paume – Martin Parr, Global warming
Open now to May 24
© Martin Parr / Magnum Photos. 1996.
Picasso Museum – Henry Taylor, Where Thoughts Provoke
Open now to September 6
Henry Taylor, We Were Framed, 2014. Coll. Part. Photo Brian Forrest. © Henry Taylor. Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth
FEMALE ENERGY
Gender roles are questioned by strong voices, such as Nan Goldin’s film installation at Grand Palais and British artist Rose Wylie’s figurative paintings interpreting Henri Rousseau at David Zwirner Gallery. While tackling different aspects of misogyny in two separate media, both do so with a similar wit and a sense of joie de vivre. Goldin’s photography famously captures the intimacy of the present and Wylie understands the now by interpreting the past. Despite difficult topics, both shows echo a sense of hopefulness.
Grand Palais – Nan Goldin, This will not end well
Open now to June 21
Vue de l’exposition Nan Goldin, This Will Not End Well, Grand Palais, Paris__455 © Photo Simon Lerat pour le GrandPalaisRmn.
David Zwirner – Rose Wylie, Henri, Egypt…Bette, Bear
Open now to May 23
Installation view. Rose Wylie: Henri, Egypt…Bette, Bear, David Zwirner, Paris, April 2-May 23, 2026. Courtesy David Zwirner. Photo by Nicolas Brasseur.
SPIRITUAL GEOMETRY
For some, geometry typically feels static and mathematical, yet several current exhibitions suggest the opposite. By embracing a geometric visual language, many artists seek to explore the spiritual dimension of reality. The Fondation Louis Vuitton exhibits a retrospective of Alexander Calder, who explored spirituality by rejecting logical shapes in his sculptures. In the Marais, the Institut suédois celebrates geometric abstract art with around 30 works of concretist Olle Bærtling, accompanied by contemporary artists. Similar to Calder, Bærtling was also interested in seeking spirituality in nature through shapes and colours.
Lastly, in early May, the Grand Palais opens its very grand Hilma af Klint exhibition, a must-see for every Scandi in Paris. Try to name a better way to finish Paris art spring than seeing the world through Hilma! On top of that, from grand to more petite, one should not miss the new Swedish, material-focused Galerie Börjesson Perott. From May 6, they are exhibiting a group show that continues the echo of Af Klint, featuring works by contemporary artists Bella Rune, Nadine Byrne, Ylva Snöfrid, and more.
Fondation Louis Vuitton – Alexander Calder, Rêver en équilibre
Open now to August 16
Alexander Calder, La Grande vitesse (1:5 intermediate maquette), 1969, Sheet metal, bolts, and paint, 259.1 x 342.9 x 236.2 cm, Calder Foundation, New York. © 2026 Calder Foundation, New York /ADAGP, Paris. Photo courtesy of Calder Foundation, New York / Art Resource, New York
Institut suédois – Olle Bærtling and more, Formes Ouvertes
Open now to July 19
Installation view. Formes Ouvertes. Vinciane Lebrun (Voyez-Vous).
Grand Palais – Hilma Af Klint
Opens at May 6
Éros, n° 4, 1907, huile sur toile, 58 × 79 cm, HaK030. By courtesy of the Hilma af Klint Foundation – photo The Moderna Museet, Stockholm.jpg
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