Must-See Exhibitions to Catch Up On This Summer

Summer 2025 is shaping up to be a dream season for art lovers in search of cultural experiences! If you've fallen behind, Do It in Paris is here with a roundup of the must-see exhibitions still running through August. Heads up: some of them end in early September—now's the time to plan your cultural outings. Get your calendars ready!

Palais Galliera is giving Rick Owens his first ever dedicated Parisian exhibition! The designer curated the show himself, and it shows: with just one room, you're plunged into his underground universe. The exhibition is crafted like his creations: provocative, eccentric, and unapologetically avant-garde. Towering mannequins loom above visitors like a striking army—imposing, yet not threatening.
Temple of Love is a declaration to fashion, individuality, and the man behind a new punk 2.0 and the post-apocalyptic aesthetic. From June 28 to January 4, admire over a hundred emblematic silhouettes, personal objects, videos, and even a never-before-seen installation.

Rick Owens, Temple of Love, until January 4. Open Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 6pm, late night Fridays until 9pm. Full price: €14, reduced: €12. Free for under 18s.

The Grand Palais is fully reopened! And it kicks off with a grand retrospective on the whimsical world of Niki de Saint Phalle and Jean Tinguely, through the lens of their friend, Swedish curator Pontus Hulten. As both muses and rivals, their relationship sparked monumental collaborations that merged their fantastical visions.
Running until January 4, 2026, the exhibition first presents their works in dialogue, then in individual rooms. A lively retrospective highlighting the shared provocation that shaped their art and careers.

Niki de Saint Phalle, Jean Tinguely, Pontus Hulten, until January 4, 2026 at Grand Palais, 7 avenue Winston Churchill, Paris 8. Open Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 7:30pm.

At Petit Palais, it's not just fashion history, it's Parisian history. The exhibition Worth: Inventing Haute Couture features over 400 garments, sketches, and paintings from the legendary house that invented modern fashion.
At the helm: Charles Frederick Worth, pioneer of designer labels, fashion seasons, and live models. Among the standout pieces? The coronation gown of Empress Sissi (yes, the real one). This is the first finely curated retrospective of the House of Worth, on view until September 7.

Worth: Inventing Haute Couture, until September 7, 2025. Petit Palais, Avenue Winston Churchill, Paris 8. Open Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 6pm, and until 8pm on Friday and Saturday.

A must-see: the first retrospective of war photojournalist Marie-Laure de Decker. This powerful tribute to a woman who captured the harsh realities of war—Vietnam, May '68, apartheid in South Africa, Chile’s dictatorship—is an emotional journey through her lens.
Former model turned fearless reporter, she also immortalized icons like Catherine Deneuve, Annie Ernaux, and Duke Ellington. A compelling mix of political grit and timeless portraits.

Marie-Laure de Decker, The Image as Commitment, until September 28, 2025 at Maison Européenne de la Photographie, Paris 4. Open Wednesday and Friday 11am–8pm, Thursday until 10pm, weekends 10am–8pm.

Good news: the blockbuster Louvre Couture show is extended until August 24! The world’s most iconic museum becomes a runway for designers like Dior, Versace, and Mugler, in dialogue with its timeless artifacts.
In the classic Richelieu wing, 65 couture silhouettes breathe new life into the museum, usually swarmed by crowds for the Mona Lisa or Venus de Milo. Fashion and art meld beautifully in a glamorous scenography.

Louvre Couture: Art Objects, Fashion Objects, extended until August 24, 2025. Louvre Museum, Paris 1.

True monument of contemporary art, David Hockney is surely one of the most influential artists in modern painting. The largest retrospective ever dedicated to this genius of the palette is currently taking over the Fondation Louis Vuitton. On the program: more than 400 works take over the galleries of this extraordinary venue, with a special focus on the artistic work of the painter these past 25 years. Between his views of famous pools, his cult portraits (hi Harry Styles) and his typical Norman landscapes, this colorful exhibit, whose design was overseen by the artist himself, properly celebrates the return of brighter days. An absolute must go!

David Hockney 25, “Do remember they can’t cancel the spring”, Fondation Louis Vuitton, avenue du Mahatma Gandhi, Paris 16. Every day from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., except Fridays until 9 p.m. From April 9 to August 31, 2025.

The great master of fauvisme, Matisse, and his daughter Marguerite take over the splendid Musée d’Art Moderne, historic neighbor of the Palais de Tokyo. The touching father-daughter relationship is highlighted in this hanging that explores the major periods of the painter through his dearest being. Worthy heiress and major influence of her father, we discover how the daughter helped evolve her father’s art, but also how she started painting herself before dedicating herself to managing her patriarch’s work. An exhibit on the most stylish nepo-baby in art to admire urgently!

Matisse et Marguerite, from April 4 to August 24, 2025. Open Tuesday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

It’s a presentation and embellishment of some 400 works captured by the greatest French photographer hosted at the magnificent Musée Maillol, just steps from boulevard Saint-Germain. No one captured childhood and casualness like Robert Doisneau. When he approaches the adult world, he stands out in portraits of the trendiest artists of the time. In advertising, he innovates. At Vogue, he excels and satirizes. In the suburbs and mines, he denounces and beautifies. But wherever he goes, Robert Doisneau captures moments and reality better than anyone. We wander among the most beautiful shots of the great humanist and moment-catcher, across the periods of his life and the film rolls that accompany them… An exhibition full of sincerity and human magic.

Instant donnés, Robert Doisneau, April 17 to October 12, 2025 at Musée Maillol, 59-61 rue de Grenelle, Paris 7e. Open daily from 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Entry from €16.50.

 Discover also Three New Italian Restaurants to Try Right Away and the best photo exhibits this spring