The Best (Free!) Exhibitions at Parisian Galleries

No need to wait in line for hours in front of the most popular museums of the capital to get a hit of culture. It’s buzzing on the side of art galleries and third-places, which are currently presenting free and ultra-inspiring exhibitions. On the program: a display about and by the star Audrey Tautou, the trippy art of Mark Leckey, the fabulous sculptures of Jeanne Vicerial, the photos of the humanist Gérard Castello-Lopes, or even the pop-as-can-be paintings of Summer Wheat. Shall we take you there?

“Success: happy result obtained in a job. Favour, audience granted by the public,” announces this unexpected exhibition right away. Until December 10, Audrey Tautou has fun with her image of celebrity at Quai de la Photo! Because what people rarely know is that the actress, passionate about photography, also loves being on the other side of the lens. Self-portraits, fan letters and other Polaroids punctuate this display that tells her journey as a movie star with humour and self-mockery.

After the cult film by Jean-Pierre Jeunet released in 2001, the fabulous destiny of Audrey Tautou shifts. She becomes a true star, receiving surprising gifts from fans, letters, and unusual objects. The celebrity plays here with her suddenly acquired status, questioning the place this takes in her new life. Thus, she reveals herself on the other side of the camera, giving us permission to discover a part of her intimacy with some sincere self-portraits, touching and sometimes wacky letters from admirers, some of her own photos of anonymous people – all taken from the back – or even a wall of Polaroids showing dozens of journalists who have interviewed her during her career. A journey through the woman and the actress, a bond now almost inseparable, and which must be played with to reclaim an identity.

Superfacial, Audrey Tautou, from June 5 to September 10, 2025, at Quai de la Photo. Open every day, Thursday to Saturday from 12 p.m. to 2 a.m., and Sunday to Wednesday from 12 p.m. to 1 a.m.
© Audrey Tautou

It’s the dream exhibition for the eternally high! A major artist on the contemporary scene, Mark Leckey was highly awaited for this exhibition at Lafayette Anticipations. An absolute must-go, As above, as below shows part of his trippy art, present in other grandiose collections, like those of the TATE Museum or the Centre Pompidou. An unmissable artistic journey, to be experienced more as an experience than as a decoding, to be discovered until July 20.

Mark Leckey broke through in the very select world of contemporary art with his video work Fiorucci Made Me Hardcore, a pioneering compilation of VHS and tape videos from British countercultures, well before this kind of content was digitized, aestheticized, and broadcast online. Since then, his avant-garde work, which crosses video, sound but also pop and subcultures, sublimates the banality of everyday life and enchants the materials of daily life. On the edge of immersion, As above, as below presents a bridge, a bus stop, road safety ads, vintage street lamps or an amusement park as ecstatic experiences, inspired by the artist’s own feelings and memories. Thus, we wander among the works that deliberately throw a too much of information at us to overwhelm us with dizzying emotions. The goal? To find the exhilarating sensations that one acquires with religion, social networks, dance, music… We particularly love his representations of medieval iconography, reworked with modern digital codes, which make us question these ecstatic visions of the world through different eras. A suspension in time, where down-to-earth and mysticism melt as if in full elevation to make the ordinary dreamlike. Watch out for the come-down…

Exhibition "As Above So Below" by Mark Leckey, until July 20, at Lafayette Anticipations, 9 rue du Plâtre, Paris 4th. Open Wednesday to Sunday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
© Alessandro Raimondo © Mark Leckey

Having already passed through the Villa Médicis and the Palais de Tokyo, the French Jeanne Vicerial brings her impressive creations to the Galerie Templon Beaubourg until July 19, transforming this art space into an intimate and mystical room welcoming representations of the female body. Warning, raw talent! Ultimate crush for the brilliant Jeanne Vicerial, visual artist passionate about fashion and design. Clearly inventing futuristic fashion with her exceptional technique of “knit-weaving”, she marks her return to France with Nymphose, an exhibition of her latest textile sculptures.

She unfolds there her world of black threads with meticulous details, which one can linger over for a long time. Nymphose is the result of two years of reflection on metamorphosis and representations of the female body, object of sacralization as much as slander throughout the centuries. On the wall, “sex-voto”, representations of female organs woven in a single thread and adorned with gold and silver nuggets, explore the taboo around the body. Opposite, the sculptures, real nymphs raised in a cloistered vibe, depict the stages of women's lives, between motherhood and first embraces, up to death. At the back of the installation, a sublime flowered corpse, subtle cross between Jean-François Millais’ Ophelia and works by the great Pierre Soulages. One thing is certain, the artist must have been a big fan of the latter (as she should) and was even invited to exhibit in 2024 at the Musée Soulages in Rodez. Classy.

Nymphose, Jeanne Vicerial, until July 19 at Galerie Templon Beaubourg, 30 rue Beaubourg, Paris 3rd. Open Tuesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
© Laurent Edeline

In the heart of the Marais, the Franco-Portuguese Gérard Castello Lopes has made himself a cozy place at the Galerie Polka, between the great Françoise Huguier and Bernard Cantié. A rediscovery of the talent of this photographer, one of the representatives of humanist photography, orchestrated by his son, journalist David Castello-Lopes, and to be admired until July 26. Because while today David Castello-Lopes is better known for his Small Talk format on Konbini, his France Inter chronicles or his humorous songs, he is less known for his father, yet a recognized photographer of the 20th century.

The son dug through his archives to dust off a few shots, sometimes compared to those of the great Henri Cartier-Bresson. With his humanist gaze and rigorously structured compositions, Gérard Castello Lopes captures reality in precise geometric compositions and moments of life sublimated by his cinematic eye. Among his many photos, many study and magnify the lives of Lisbon’s inhabitants in the 1950s. Our favorite: the portrait of two young boys playing football, made grand by its look straight out of a vintage film and its spiritual aura. Commented by his son, guardian of his memory, his work overflows with life and feeling. The gaze of a son on the eyes of his father to be discovered at all costs among the other fascinating displays of the gallery!

Gérard Castello Lopes, The gaze of my father. From May 26 to July 26 at Polka Galerie, Cour de Venise, 12 rue Saint-Gilles, Paris 3rd. Open Tuesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
© Gérard Castello-Lopes

To celebrate the arrival of the sunny days, American contemporary artist Summer Wheat returns for a second time to the Zidoun-Bossuyt Gallery in Paris to (re)discover, until July 19, her wildly colorful patchworks, between painting and weaving, praised by the art press. A foretaste of summer that would be crazy to miss…

Impossible not to feel mesmerized in front of these huge, vibrant canvases! In this new exhibition of paintings by artist Summer Wheat, recognized and exhibited worldwide, female figures transform into riders chasing butterflies, try in vain to catch raindrops through their torn nets, while stars sometimes blend with bees… One dares to approach her paintings to better understand them and spot the relief, since her favorite technique consists of passing paint through an aluminum screen. Beyond her unique and innovative technique, the artist has refined over the years a tangy, dynamic and deeply personal style. Here, the canvases bring back tender childhood and offer a fun and somewhat naïve representation of poetic visions. The ideal display for those wishing to rediscover the flavor of their sunny childhood vacations, or who have remained great dreamers.

SUMMER WHEAT, Sun Up, Sun Down, until July 19, 2025, at Galerie Zidoun-Bossuyt Paris, 51 rue de Seine, Paris 6th. Open Tuesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Award-winning several times, the Italian photojournalist Paolo Pellegrin even has a photo album dedicated to his work by Reporters Sans Frontières. In two words: pure class. In the Marais, at the atypical Galerie de l’Instant, the artist makes a stop for a beautiful retrospective of his photos.

More than just reportage photos, we detect in his work an outstanding artistic eye. A true nomad, we travel with him to Greece, Japan, Switzerland, or New York through his urban photos and breathtaking landscapes. Our favorites: his photo of a market in Cuba with an Edward Hopper ambiance, or that of New York City in 2011, which, in its light contrasts on the buildings, almost reminds us of the Animals album cover by Pink Floyd… And speaking of legendary album covers, the gallery is full of gems from past expos in its basement to (re)discover. Too cool: we take the opportunity to see the photo/cover of Melody Nelson by Gainsbourg, alongside other hyper-glamorous shots from the 60’s / 70’s…

Galerie de l’Instant, 46 rue de Poitou, Paris 3e. Open from Monday to Saturday from 11 am to 7 pm and Sunday from 11 am to 6:30 pm.

The Swedish Institute, in the heart of the Marais, offers a top-notch artistic journey 2-in-1, between the great painter Barbro Östlihn and a retrospective of the revolutionary museum curator Pontus Hulten.

Unthinkable not to discover the work of the artist Barbro Östlihn. This avant-garde painter experienced the full rise of the pop-art movement and was one of the only ones to be exhibited in London in 1969 in the expo dedicated to this artistic movement.The visit begins with a first presentation of her New York period, and we also discover the mythical works and the artist’s eternal fascination for architectural details, but also plenty of sketches and photos.Her first retrospective in France is an absolute must-see.We also take a detour to the ultra-design expo Keep Smiling by Pontus Hulten, Swedish art curator and first director of the Centre Pompidou.Totally aesthetic and modern posters from legendary expos are on display.So, ready for a getaway to Sweden?

Institut Suédois, 11 rue Payenne, Paris 3e. Ouvert du mardi au dimanche de 12 à 19h et le jeudi de 12h à 21h.

Also discover The fantastic mr Wes Anderson at the Cinematèque and Couture Kimonos at the Quai Branly Museum