Art lovers generally look forward to the end of the summer and wait with baited breath for the release of the latest calendar of cultural events. The art world is constantly transforming but this fall is shaping up to be a particularly abundant season! Compiling a list of the 10 best art exhibitions for fall 2019 was not an easy task, but Artalistic has narrowed this season’s offering of spectacular upcoming shows to a list that defines the new season!

Must-see art exhibitions for this fall 2019

2018’s fall season was filled with stunning exhibitions, from a comprehensive retrospective of the Cubist period at the Centre Pompidou to the outstanding Picasso exhibition at the Musée d’Orsay. This fall 2019 season is shaping up to be as exciting and magnificent as last year’s shows.

3 must-see art exhibitions for this fall 2019

Toulouse-Lautrec at the Grand Palais: October 9, 2019 - January 27, 2019

We have no doubt that the Toulouse-Lautrec retrospective will be one of the best art exhibitions in 2019. Co-produced by the Grand Palais, the Musée d'Orsay, the Musée de l'Orangerie and the Réunion des Musées Nationaux, this will be a rare chance to see an outstanding collection of the artist’s work in one breathtaking show. Approximately 200 pieces will be shown! Too much attention is often given to the folklore surrounding the Moulin-Rouge, this exhibition will highlight his connection with Manet, Degas and Forian, which allowed him to transform his powerful naturalism into a more incisive and bold style.

El Greco at the Grand Palais: October 14, 2019 – February 10, 2020

One of the leading figures of the Spanish Golden Age, the Cretan artist Domenico Theotokopoulos, known as El Greco, is almost unclassifiable because his work elegantly mixes several different styles. The Grand Palais has mounted a virtuoso exhibition dedicated to his work, which promises to be one of the best art exhibitions held this fall 2019. The works featured in the exhibition retrace the artist’s travels and show how they influenced his technique. El Greco is considered the last great master of the Renaissance and the first great painter of the Golden Age, a cornerstone niched between the traditional and modern eras.

Leonardo da Vinci at the Louvre: October 24, 2019 - February 24, 2020: THE must-see art exhibition in 2019 in Paris!

This exhibition marks the 500-year anniversary of this famous painter, scientist, philosopher, inventor and engineer’s death. This exhibition reunites more than ten years of work and is, without a doubt, one of the most awaited, must-see art exhibitions in 2019. Tip: book tickets ahead of time!

Fall 2019’s most highly anticipated art exhibitions

Photographer Hassan Hajjaj at MEP in Paris: September 11, 2019 - November 17, 2019

Pop art and offbeat imagery explode out of Hassan Hajjaj’s photographs at one of 2019’s best art exhibitions, which will take place at the Maison Européenne de la Photographie and is part of the third Photography Biennial of the Contemporary Arab World. Hajjaj lives and works between London and Morocco, creating rich pieces that stand out, as do their frames, which are made of cans and empty hot sauce tubes! His soulful, thought-provoking and socially conscious approach underlines many social issues, for example modern society’s excessive consumerism..

Francis Bacon at Centre Pompidou: September 11, 2019 – January 20, 2020

What influence did literature have on Francis Bacon's work? The exhibition organised by the Centre Pompidou attempts to answer this question based on the artist's statement that words stimulated his imagination and inspired him with concrete environments and precise images. The exhibition focuses on the last two decades of Bacon’s life (1971-1992). His colorful, intense pieces are accompanied by extracts from texts selected from this British artist's personal library: Aeschylus, Nietzsche, Battle, Leiris, etc. Critics are already calling this show one of the best art exhibitions in 2019.

Photographer Sigmar Polke at Le Bal in Paris: September 13, 2019 - December 22, 2019

Unpublished photographs by the German artist Sigmar Polke (1941-2010) will be on display at Le Bal in Paris. This will be an opportunity to discover hundreds of untitled, undated prints made during the 1970s. These prints were recently rediscovered in an abandoned crate at Polke’s son’s house! Polke is a well-known painter and the fact that these unseen images have been unearthed pushes this show to the top of our list of must-see art exhibitions in 2019. These family photos, self-portraits and shots from his travels do not take into account the traditional rules of exposure and development; these experimental pieces - sometimes created under the influence of drugs – resemble abstract paintings more than traditional photography and greatly contributed to this master's painting technique.

Charlotte Perriand at the Fondation Louis Vuitton: October 2, 2019 - February 24, 2020

Charlotte Perriand (1903-1999) was a French architect and interior designer. Her work was centered on creating functional living spaces: storage units, curtain walls, extendible tables and built-in furniture. Her work was influenced by Japanese design and was a reflection on minimalism. This highly-awaited art exhibition is sure to be one of the best in 2019.

Hans Hartung at the City of Paris Museum of Modern Art: October 11, 2019 – March 1, 2020

The City of Paris Museum of Modern Art brings you a magnificent retrospective of the German artist Hans Hartung (1904-1989), who was exiled in France. This show focuses on six prolific decades of work by this forerunner of abstraction. His work uses a surprisingly broad array of media and techniques created with countless different tools. This colorful exhibition features 300 works: paintings, photographs, graphic works, experiments in ceramics, painted stones and much more. If you are looking to see art from a different angle this should be at the top of your list of best art exhibitions to see in 2019.

Photographs by Peter Hujar at Jeu de Paume: October 15, 2019 - January 19, 2020

Explore the subculture of New York from 1960 to 1980 as seen by the photographer Peter Hujar (1937-1987). Hujar described his work as being, “Uncomplicated, direct photographs of complicated and difficult subjects…those who push themselves to any extreme and people who cling to the freedom to be themselves.” Hujar worked as a commercial photographer and quickly showed his remarkable technical mastery of the media. This exhibition retraces his career through 140 photographs that will immerse you in his creative universe of the Big Apple.

Christian Boltanski at Centre Pompidou: November 13, 2019 – March 16, 2020

One of the most astonishing art exhibitions on our top 10 list for 2019 takes you on a journey through the works of the French sculptor Christian Boltanski. This exhibition covers a surface area of 21,527ft² (2000 m²)! You will explore a giant labyrinth, which uses images, sound and light to present Boltanski’s work in an attempt to convey the "great metaphor of man’s cycle of life, from birth to death."

Here is Artalistic’s selection of the 10 best art exhibitions for fall 2019. The shows on this list have sparked our interest even though there were so many exciting upcoming exhibitions to choose from! Now it’s up to you to decide which ones you will see! See you soon for the latest news from the art world.