Art exhibitions Paris: Fall 2020's 5 must-see shows

Like many other sectors, the art world has been heavily affected by Covid-19. After postponements and cancellations, Artalistic brings you the ultimate guide to 2020's greatest art exhibitions in Paris scheduled for this fall. Get your date book ready because these shows are not to be missed!

Art exhibitions Paris: Fall 2020's 5 must-see shows

Sarah Moon at the Museum of Modern Art in Paris: Septemer 18,  2020 – January 10, 2021

This is the first time that the French photographer Sarah Moon has had a solo retrospective at a museum. The Museum of Modern Art in Paris is presenting this exhibition entitled Past Present, which flows through the key pieces of her work, beginning in 1968, in non-chronological order. The exhibition features Moon's photographs and films, taking you on a journey through this ex-model and fashion photographer's bold, etherial and lavish world. 

If you are in Paris this fall 2020, this is a must-see art exhibition whether you are new to Moon's work or a die-hard fan. Moon's attention to texture, surface and focus will transport you to a romantic and melancholic world where beauty reigns.

The Golden Age of Danish Painting at the Petit Palais: September 22, 2020 - January 3, 2021

Stepping foot in this art exhibition in Paris will be like being transported through a time portal to 19^th century Denmark. This art exhibition entitled The Golden Age of Danish Painting features over 200 works by leading artists of the time, including Christoffer Eckersberg, Christen Kobke, Martinus Rorbye and Constantin Hansen. This exhibition was created in collaboration with the Statens Museum for Kunst (SMK) in Copenhagen and the National Museum of Stockholm.

This 2020 must-see art exhibition showcases a period that forged a distinct national style, depicting domestic scenes whose treatment of soft northern light created compositions whose strong contrasts of color produced scenes that idealized reality. The show features interior scenes, portraits, humble still lives and landscapes.

Man Ray and Fashion at the Musée du Luxembourg: September 23, 2020 - January 17, 2021

The Musée du Luxembourg in Paris brings us a stunning art exhibition of Man Ray's lesser known works which were created for the fashion world. This exhibition was supposed to open in April, 2020. Due to its postponed opening it will be on show throughout fall and into the beginning of 2021.

Man Ray is so well-known as an avant-garde surrealist painter that we often forget that he spent a large portion of his career making a living entirely from commercial fashion photography (between 1920 and 1940). This exhibition makes it clear that he used this medium to support his experimental artwork, creating “art for art's sake.” This must-see 2020 art exhibition in Paris will feature large format prints and is a fabulous way to discover Man Ray's lesser known works.

Albrecht Altdorfer – a German Renaissance Master at the Louvre: October 1, 2020 - January 4, 2021: A must-see art exhibition in Paris 2020

A major artist of the German Renaissance, Albrecht Altdorfer was a painter, draftsman and printmaker. Altdorfer's work was highly-influential at the time of its creation yet today his work is less renowned than other masters of his generation, such as Albrecht Dürer, Lucas Cranach and Hans Baldung Grien.

This must-see art exhibition in Paris was created in collaboration with the Musée Cluny and Vienna's Albertina Museum. The exhibition aims to acquaint the public with Altdorfer's rich body of work, including paintings, drawings and prints. The exhibition is organized chronologically by theme and features major works commissioned by Emperor Maximilian.

Aubrey Beardsley Retrospective at the Musée d'Orsay: October 13, 2020 – January 10, 2021

Another note-worthy art exhibition taking place in Paris is the Aubrey Beardsley (1872-1898) Retrospective at the Musée d'Orsay. Beardsley was a  British writer and illustrator who died at the young age of 25. This solo retrospective will feature prints that have never been shown before in France as well as approximately one hundred drawings, original publications and posters of his work.

Beardsley's easily recognizable black ink drawings were influenced by Japanese woodcuts, featuring a unique use of negative space to depict grotesque, decadent and erotic images. He worked with other prominent individuals such as Oscar Wilde, Théophile Gautier and Alexander Pope.

Aubrey Beardsley's work contributed to the development of the Art Nouveau poster style. His famous erotic illustrations include the privately printed edition of Aristophanes' Lysistrata and his drawings for Oscar Wilde's play Salome. His work was controversial in England long after his death.