Must-See Exhibitions to Catch Up On This Summer

© Aurélien Mole / Florent Michel / Palais Galliera

Summer 2026 is shaping up to be rich for culture lovers craving arty events! For those in the back who haven’t been keeping up, Do It is giving you a recap of the season’s unmissable exhibitions to catch during August. Mark your calendars—some even close in early September, so it’s now or never to get moving!

With Virages Vierges, Pauline Curnier Jardin transforms the Palais de Tokyo into a hypnotic stage. Videos, sculptures, and new installations form a journey where fiction, documentary, and theater merge into dreamlike settings. The artist reclaims female figures, long locked between archetypes of the saint or the prostitute, turning them into powerful, desiring, and fiercely rebellious heroines. Here, the "turn" (virage) becomes an invitation to step off the beaten track, a detour, while "virgin" (vierge) evokes both bodies and territories left to reinvent. An immersive, baroque, and deeply free exhibition where each room blurs the boundaries between the sacred and the profane.

Virages Vierges at the Palais de Tokyo until September 13th at Palais de Tokyo, 13 avenue du Président Wilson, Paris 16th. Open daily except Tuesdays from 12 pm to 9 pm.

© Aurélien Mole - Adagp Paris 2026

At the Bourse de Commerce, the Clair-obscur exhibition creates a dialogue around one of the world's most famous artistic techniques through a hundred works from the Pinault Collection, ranging from Old Masters to contemporary artists. Inheriting the chiaroscuro so dear to Caravaggio, the exhibition explores light as a material in its own right. Visitors walk through the fog layers of Fujiko Nakaya, whose famous fog sculptures transform the Rotunda into a moving landscape, before getting drawn into Camata. Meanwhile, video works by Bill Viola, enigmatic paintings by Victor Man, interventions by Philippe Parreno, and delicate installations by Laura Lamiel compose an immersive journey where shadow reveals as much as it conceals.

Clair-Obscur until August 24th at the Bourse de Commerce, 2 rue de Viarmes, Paris 1st. Open Monday to Sunday from 11 am to 7 pm.

© Saodat Ismailova / Laura Lamie / Victor Man

With Tisser, broder, sublimer, the Palais Galliera celebrates the master artisans behind the greatest fashion silhouettes. Through 350 pieces—clothing, accessories, textile samples, photographs, tools, and drawings—the exhibition traces the history of craftsmanship that, from the 18th century to the present day, transforms simple fabric into a work of art. Weaving, printing, embroidery, lace, and artificial flowers: each technique reveals exquisite craftsmanship, highlighted by creations as iconic as a Gabrielle Chanel camellia, Chantilly lace, or a laser print by Balenciaga. Special mention goes to the section dedicated to floral motifs, which plays with materials, colors, and volumes with breathtaking virtuosity. A fascinating dive behind the scenes of fashion, reminding us why Paris remains the undisputed capital of exceptional craftsmanship.

Tisser, broder, sublimer. Les savoir-faire de la mode until October 18th at Palais Galliera, 10 avenue Pierre 1er de Serbie, Paris 16th. Open Tuesday to Sunday from 10 am to 6 pm. Fridays until 9 pm.

© Nicolas Ghesquière / Demna Gvasalia / Daniel Roseberry

Before entering the Water Lilies room at the Musée de l'Orangerie, take a detour to see the work of Alexandre Lenoir. The young painter displays light-filled landscapes traversed by phantom-like silhouettes that radiate a sweet and intriguing melancholy. Layer by layer, from lightest to darkest, Lenoir applies his paint onto a mosaic of tape strips placed on the canvas "like a printer," before peeling them off to reveal the image. This technique of "masking, covering, then discovering" gives his works a almost living vibration—an obvious dialogue with Monet and his Water Lilies, where light, water, and matter also seem to never stop moving.

Alexandre Lenoir, Par la force des choses until August 24th at the Musée de l’Orangerie. Open daily except Tuesdays from 9 am to 6 pm, and Fridays until 9 pm.

© Delaissement Philippe / Adagp - musée de l’Orangerie - Laëtitia Striffling-Marcu / Nicolas Brasseur

Leopard print, gold, supermodels, and icons on every floor: the Musée Maillol turns into a giant runway for the first French retrospective dedicated to Gianni Versace in nearly 40 years. Inside, over 450 unique pieces—accessories, sketches, decorative items, photos, and videos—reveal the vast career of one of the greatest fashion designers of the late 20th century. From ancient references to baroque prints, bondage dresses, and iconic silk shirts, this exhibition is a shot of Italian maximalism that will leave you wanting just one thing: to completely forget about quiet luxury.

Gianni Versace Retrospective all summer 2026 at musée Maillol. Open daily from 10:30 am to 6:30 pm, Wednesdays until 10 pm.

Head over to the Musée Marmottan Monet to step into the breathtaking world of Je veux voir mes montagnes, the blockbuster retrospective dedicated to Giovanni Segantini. Nicknamed the "Gauguin of the Alps," this master of divisionism and color is honored through 60 crystal-clear masterpieces. The journey feels like a physical procession: as you progress through the 60 works (including raw self-portraits and delicate pastels), you gain higher altitude. From raw self-portraits to maternal portraits merging with wild nature, this exhibition traces the romantic destiny of a self-taught artist who painted the most beautiful peaks of the Alps until his final breath in 1899.

Je veux voir mes montagnes, from April 29th to August 16th. Musée Marmottan Monet open Tuesday to Sunday from 10 am to 6 pm.

The best way to be an independent woman in the 17th century? Widowhood. A cultured woman of letters who became a widow at age 25, Madame de Sévigné (born Marie de Rabutin-Chantal) frequented the capital's most refined literary circles alongside the Marquise de Rambouillet and Mademoiselle de Scudéry—a trio nicknamed "Les Précieuses." The Musée Carnavalet, where Sévigné lived for 20 years, highlights her deep connection to Paris, particularly Le Marais, her favorite neighborhood. With oversized portraits by Claude Lefèbvre and Jean Nocret, personal belongings, and rare letters from her correspondence with her daughter, visitors are invited to rediscover the life of this major figure in French literature, who was never published during her lifetime.

Madame de Sévigné, lettres parisiennes from April 15th to August 23th at Musée Carnavalet, 23 rue de Sévigné, Paris 3rd. Open Tuesday to Sunday from 10 am to 6 pm. © Musée Carnavalet / Vitré, château des Rochers-Sévigné / Bibliothèque nationale de France

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