7 free exhibitions to discover right now

© Daniel Greer / Sam Shaw / Christopher Barraja

You don’t need to spend hours queuing outside Paris’s most popular museums to get your cultural fix. The city’s art galleries are currently buzzing with inspiring free exhibitions that you can enjoy without waiting in line or paying an entrance fee. Photography, installations, paintings, and even sculptures: there’s something for every art lover. On the agenda: the vibrant canvases of Khalif Tahir Thompson, the intimate photographs of Christopher Barraja at Saint Laurent, iconic portraits of Marilyn Monroe, a contemporary dialogue inspired by Monet, and a celebration of thirty years of contemporary creation at Galerie Les Filles du Calvaire. Here are five exhibitions to add to your must-see list.

Vermilion, cyan, ochre, and magenta: American artist Khalif Tahir Thompson takes over Galerie Zidoun-Bossuyt with his latest solo exhibition, Beautiful Land. Born in the United States in 1995, Thompson returns to Paris for the second time, presenting his work until July 18. His paintings—true fragments of everyday life—burst with energy and emotion. Portraits, still lifes, and New York landscapes immerse visitors in a unique artistic universe that is both contemporary and deeply inspired by Fauvism, the 20th-century movement that championed color over drawing.

Art enthusiasts will instantly recognize the influence of Beauford Delaney and his urban scenes, as well as the bold palettes of French painter André Derain. But Thompson’s work goes beyond color. The artist experiments with materiality through painting, engraving, collage, and even handmade paper production. His work explores themes of identity, memory, and heritage, particularly through the lens of his experience as an African American artist. Intimate yet powerful, his pieces captivate as much as they challenge.

Beautiful Land until July 18 at Galerie Zidoun-Bossuyt, 51 rue de Seine, Paris 6th arrondissement. Open Tuesday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

On Rue de Grenelle, in the refined atmosphere of the Saint Laurent Babylone space, the sensual photographs of French photographer Christopher Barraja are currently on display. After honing his eye at the Arts Décoratifs, winning a Picto Prize, and becoming a finalist at the 37th edition of the Hyères Festival in 2022, the Nice-born artist caught the attention of Anthony Vaccarello, who invited him to present his Daydreaming of Him exhibition at his Left Bank headquarters.

Displayed on the walls of Paris’s most glamorous bookstore, the twelve photographs pay tribute to the beauty of the men in his life. Friends, lovers, and partners have stepped in front of his lens, revealing in turn their muscles, body hair, scent, and the softness of their skin, creating the impression of a sensual journey infused with the spirit of summer flings. The artist’s favorite image? “The one taken spontaneously above a friend while we were playfully wrestling in the grass, where you can immediately feel the spontaneity.”

While all of the works are available for purchase — expect to pay €1,200, a solid investment given Christopher Barraja’s rising market value — visitors can also purchase a limited-edition fanzine specially printed for the occasion. Signed by the artist, it includes a beautiful unique print ready for framing (€55). Effortlessly chic.

Daydreaming of Him at Saint Laurent Babylone, from June 3 to September 13, 9 rue de Grenelle, Paris 7th arrondissement.

© Christopher Barraja

“You are a radiant child,” wrote Truman Capote. Few descriptions fit Marilyn Monroe better. What remains to be said about the most photographed woman of the 20th century? Her iconic dresses, platinum hair, romances, and personal tragedies seem endlessly documented. Yet at Galerie de l’Instant, photographs by Sam Shaw, taken between 1954 and 1958, reveal a Marilyn far removed from the overexposed myth.

Behind the global sex symbol emerges a vibrant, luminous, and sometimes fragile young woman. Through the lens of the New York photographer, the gaze becomes deeply human. No stiff poses, no forced glamour—just a rare and spontaneous truth. From factory worker to international star and timeless icon, this exhibition traces an extraordinary destiny while offering an intimate look at the woman behind the legend.

Marilyn Monroe, Portrait of a Radiant Child at Galerie de l’Instant, 46 rue de Poitou, Paris 3rd arrondissement. Until September 15. Open Monday from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m., Tuesday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday from 2 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

© Sam Shaw

Head to Paris’s 6th arrondissement to discover Dialogues with Monet at Galerie Larock-Granoff, a visual tribute bringing together around ten contemporary artists. Their common starting point: Leicester Square at Night, a painting created by Claude Monet between 1900 and 1901.

To mark the centenary of the Impressionist master’s passing, the exhibition creates a fascinating dialogue between contemporary creators, each invited to produce a new work in the exact format of Monet’s original painting.

The result? Sensitive, bold, and highly personal interpretations of the same nocturnal landscape. Each artist projects their own universe, obsessions, palette, and era onto the subject, proving that a masterpiece can continue to inspire more than a century after its creation. By juxtaposing a historic work with contemporary reinterpretations, the gallery demonstrates that art history is far from static—it constantly reinvents itself through fresh perspectives.

Dialogues with Monet, from June 12 to August 1 at Galerie Larock-Granoff, 13 Quai de Conti, Paris 6th arrondissement. Open Wednesday to Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

© Isabel Michel / Tess Dumon / Olivier Masmonteil

Founded in 1996 by Stéphane Magnan, Galerie Les Filles du Calvaire celebrates its 30th anniversary this year with a major exhibition entitled 30 Years and Beyond, a tribute to “three decades of commitment to contemporary creation.”

Photography, painting, sculpture, and large-scale installations come together in a dynamic exhibition that reflects the diversity of artistic practices championed by the gallery. This diversity mirrors its long-standing support for the contemporary art scene, particularly French artists whose work it has helped showcase internationally.

Rather than looking nostalgically to the past, 30 Years and Beyond embraces a forward-looking vision. The exhibition remains faithful to the gallery’s founding mission: supporting contemporary creation in all its forms.

30 Years and Beyond until June 20 and again from July 3 to July 25 at Galerie Les Filles du Calvaire, 21 rue Chapon, Paris 3rd arrondissement. Open Tuesday from 2 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. and Wednesday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

© Kourtey Roy  / Todd Hiddo / Frances Goodman 

Forget the classical stage: here, dance explodes, infiltrates, and asserts itself where you least expect it. Head to the Galerie de l'Instant, on rue de Turenne, where the charismatic Hugo Marchand, Sylvie Guillem, and Matthew Ball impose their magnetic presence.

This vibrant exhibition focuses particularly on Hugo Marchand, omnipresent in the space like a continuous breath. He deploys a powerful vision: making dance shine where it isn't expected. Captured by the sharp lens of Maria-Helena Buckley and Matthew Brookes, his body becomes a manifesto: a sensual ode to movement, commitment... and finally, transmission because, in 2022, Hugo Marchand launched his association to make classical dance accessible within the heart of French heritage. Since 2023, he has taken over castles and exceptional sites, from the Château de Chambord to Mont-Saint-Michel, transforming these iconic locations into living stages open to all.

La mémoire du geste at Galerie de l’instant, 46 rue de Poitou, Paris 3rd. Until May 31st, open Monday from 2pm to 7pm, Tuesday to Saturday from 11am to 7pm, and Sunday from 2pm to 6:30pm

© Maria-Helena Buckley / Matthew Brookes 

Head to the Maïf Social Club in the Marais to discover an im-mer-sive and engaged exhibition: Voir la mer, reflets d’un océan chaviré. The goal? To reveal the fragile beauty of the oceans through sculptures, paintings, and video installations that really get you thinking.

We navigate between an immaculate salt sculpture, colorful corals (almost) more real than life, navy blue photographs, and other maritime projections in a dim atmosphere. Does land art speak to you? Here, artist Duke Riley revisits this artistic technique by collecting used lighters, plastic caps, periwinkles, and shells to create an impressive painting of a coastal landscape. You have to get close to notice it! Finally, echoing the myth of Lot's wife, a splendid salt statue titled Littéral sits enthroned in the center of the room. This creation, imagined by Mathieu Lorry Dupuy, reflects our lifestyles and our desires for ephemeral escapes. The choice of material is not left to chance: salt is a paradoxical substance that seems solid yet remains soluble and unstable... In short, the perfect exhibition to raise environmental awareness and the fragility of the oceans through original, deep, and striking works.

Voir la mer, reflets d’un océan chaviré, 37 rue de Turenne, Paris 3rd. Until July 25th. Open Monday and Saturday from 10am to 7pm, then Tuesday to Friday from 10am to 8:30pm.

© Jean-Louis Carli / MAIF

Fancy a soft and colorful break? Head for the enchanting universe of South Korean artist Zipcy, who is holding her very first solo exhibition in France. Until June 4th, La Forteresse Douce takes up residence at the Goldshteyn-Saatort gallery, in the heart of the 7th arrondissement.

But what makes this exhibition a must-see is the creation of a sensual dialogue between traditional mediums and contemporary subjects. Zipcy stages often taboo subjects: the female body, vulnerability, intimacy, and desire through contemporary patterns and vibrant colors. This pulsing, almost addictive intensity is born from natural Korean and Japanese pigments worked in marouflage, which she applies in brushstrokes on Hanji, a traditional Korean paper made from mulberry bark. The result: carnal, intense works with magnetic depth. La Forteresse Douce is an ambivalent conversation: tradition and modernity merge, softness dances with intensity, and the intimate opens up to better dialogue with the collective.

La Forteresse Douce at Goldshteyn-Saatort gallery, 7 rue de Verneuil, Paris 7th. From April 24th to June 4th. Open Tuesday from 1pm to 7pm, then Wednesday to Saturday from 11am to 7pm.

© Zipcy

Formes Ouvertes is a concept designating a system of angles that rejects any background or closed geometric motif. Didn't quite catch that? Head to Le Marais and the Institut Suédois, which is unveiling a new exhibition of the same name, offering a real dive into abstract art and open forms through a hyper-colorful show. On the walls, nearly thirty years of creation by Olle Bærtling, a leading painter and sculptor of abstraction, enter into dialogue with the works of seven other artists from around the world. The result? Shapes that leap out of their frames, paintings that seem to invade the space beyond the canvas, unfinished triangles, and vibrant hues. We wander among these paintings that seem to respond to one another and question the idea of a universal abstract language.

The little extra? The Institut suédois is exhibiting Cecilia Edefalk, a major figure on the Swedish art scene. Since the 80s, she has deployed an instinctive body of work, where inherited images gradually slide towards an inhabited abstraction. Between memory, nature, and visions, her art even summons the voices of departed artists.

Formes Ouvertes at the Institut Suédois, 11 rue Payenne, Paris 3rd. Until July 19th, Tuesday to Sunday from 12pm to 7pm and Thursday until 9pm.

© Vinciane Lebrun

Did you know that the master of Cubism was also a passionate ceramist? Head to rue de Seine, where the brand-new PM Gallery is making a splash with an exhibition that explores Picasso in a different light through ceramics, sketches, and photographs by his great friend André Villers. On the walls, the intimacy of his Vallauris workshop captured by André Villers combines Picasso's sketches with his ceramics. The result? A total immersion into the artist's gesture, where the utilitarian object is transformed into a narrative work. We wander through this "mental space" where matter dialogues without any hierarchy.

The little extra? The iconoclastic vision of Pavel Morozov, the gallery's founder, who breaks the rules by bringing over 24 years of creation into dialogue to awaken our gaze between modern art and traditional craftsmanship. An immersive dive that proves Picasso has not yet finished surprising us...

Picasso : l’atelier, le regard, la matière at PM Gallery, 40 rue de Seine Paris 6th. Open Tuesday to Saturday from 12pm to 7pm.

©Oleg Nikishin

Japanese elegance is coming to Paris ! After its success in the Land of the Rising Sun, the exhibition Beyond Our Horizons takes over Galerie du 19M in a newly reimagined version. A new venue, but the same mission: celebrating creative exchange between Japanese and French artisans through breathtaking works.

Step into a journey through materials, creativity and craftsmanship, halfway between Tokyo and Paris. Sculptures, ceramics, textiles and light installations guide visitors through creations that connect iconic Japanese savoir-faire with French excellence. The delicate Japanese ajiro-bari weaving converses with the pleating work of Atelier Lognon from Maison Lemarié; ceramic master Zengoro Eiraku’s pieces are embellished with flowers and insects by French embroidery house Atelier Montex; while karakami-style printed flowers – a traditional Japanese technique – face the sculptural blooms of Maison Lemarié. More than an exhibition, it’s a true dialogue between cultures, offering a timeless experience beyond borders.

Beyond Our Horizons at Galerie du 19M, 2 place Skanderbeg, Paris 19e. From January 29 to April 26. Open Wednesday to Sunday from 11am to 6:30pm. Free entry with reservation.
© Clarisse Ain

Clubbing culture takes over Quai de la Photo with a photography exhibition entirely dedicated to legendary nights out. More than just a party scene, it’s a social, artistic and political phenomenon spotlighted in The Beat Goes On. From its roots in the 1970s to today, from New York to Paris, this exhibition explores what nightlife reveals about our societies.

A true journey through five decades of music, dance, pop lights and intoxicating kisses, the exhibition brings together over a hundred photos and videos by artists from around the world, shown in France for the first time. This collective approach offers a 360° view of nightlife, an ode to those who have danced for fifty years to connect, assert themselves and dream together. From iconic New York disco clubs to 1990s British raves and Berlin underground basements, a common thread runs through it all : the desire for freedom. Bonus point ? Four months of vibrant programming with parties, screenings, artist talks and DJ sets to extend the energy of the images IRL.

The Beat Goes On at Quai de la Photo, 9 port de la Gare, Paris 13e. Until April 24. Open Wednesday to Sunday from noon until at least midnight (up to 2am).
© Karel Chladek – Tristan O’Neill

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