Sources: Paris Convention and Visitors Office, Paris Mayor's Office
The below calendar applies to May 2012.
Festivals and Seasonal Events
- May 19th: Museum Night-- As part of the global Museum Night event, Paris museums will open their doors free of charge to visitors until 1 am. Special events and illuminations await in many of Paris' major museums.
- May 27th-June 10th: The 2012 French Open at Roland Garros-- Tennis fans should not miss one of France's most exciting and important tournaments. Tennis greats like Steffi Graf made their debuts at Roland Garros, and the French Open continues to host some of the world's unforgettable matches. Procuring tickets, however, can be quite a feat, so try to snag much-coveted spots at the matches several months ahead.
- Through May: Foire du Trone (Annual Fair)
Parents and kids can look forward to the annual Paris fair (Foire du Trône), which runs through the end of the month and delivers all the traditional fun of a county fair, with ferris wheels, roller coasters, and cotton candy included.
- May 20th-June 3rd: Saint-Germain-des-Prés Jazz Festival
The city's most famous annual jazz festival will take the St. Germain neighborhood by storm for the 11th year running this month. Enthusiasts of the genre should reserve a day or two for this popular event.
Metro: St. Germain des Prés
- Late May : Artists' Open House in Belleville Galleries-- This annual event provides an exceptional opportunity to get to know some of Paris' contemporary artists and their work, as well as getting a glimpse of Parisian life from the inside. Over 200 artists living and working in the edgy, urbanite Belleville neighborhood open their doors to show off their work and spaces every day from 2:00 pm to 9:00 pm. Precise dates to be announced soon.
Arts and Exhibits Highlights in May
The Cinémathèque Française is hosting a major retrospective on iconoclastic filmmaker Tim Burton, who rose to mainstream prominence with cult classics including Edward Scissorhands, Ed Wood and The Nightmare Before Christmas. This is the same retrospective conceived by the MOMA in New York. The exhibit, featuring some 700 works by Burton, includes the director's early drawings, sculptures (including several which were created exclusively for the exposition), costumes and accessories, models and film excerpts.
When: Through August 5th, 2012.
Where: Cinematheque Francaise
Read the full exhibit preview on our blog here
The Centre Georges Pompidou is currently paying tribute to acclaimed graphic novelist Art Spiegelman, who helped make critics take the graphic novel seriously as an artistic and literary form with series such as Maus. Entrance is through the library on Rue Beaubourg. Free.
When: Through May 21st, 2012.
Also on in May at the Centre Pompidou: Matisse, Paires et Series
Where: Centre Georges Pompidou
A show which opened last month at Paris's Arts Décoratifs museum celebrates the "trompe l'oeil" technique and the complex art of deception. The exhibit features over 400 works, from paintings and sculpture to textiles, highlighting techniques of trickery originating in ancient Greece.
Location: Musee des arts decoratifs
107 rue de Rivoli,1st arrondissement
Metro: Louvre-Rivoli or Palais Royal
Tel: +33 (0)144 55 57 50
When: Through November 2013
Visit the official website
Read our full review here
An important exhibit consecrated to French impressionist painter Edgar Degas and the art of the nude is a must-see this month at the Musee d'Orsay.
When: Through July 1st, 2012.
Where: Musee d'Orsay
A retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art of the City of Paris dedicated to metaphysical painter and adopted Parisian de Chirico examines the artist's vast influence on subsequent schools of modern art.
Location: Musee d'art Moderne de la Ville de Paris
When: Through July 12th, 2012
Fans of Robert Zimmerman, aka Bob Dylan, and his enormous repertoire of folk hits and lesser-known, poetically infused ballads should make sure to see this retrospective at the Cite de la Musique. The exhibit focuses on Dylan's emergence onto the New York folk music scene in the 1960's, as artists, musicians and poets became more engaged with political and social struggles, notably the civil rights movement.
Location: Cite de la Musique
221, avenue Jean-Jaurès
Metro: Porte de Pantin
When: Through July 15th, 2012
This exhibit at the Pinacotheque gallery near Madeleine is highlighting how highly influential Alsatian art collector Jonas Netter essentially brought the works of artists such as Modigliani, Soutine and Utrillo to the attention of the greater public. Several never-before exhibited works by Modigliani await at this show, which also provides a glimpse into the explosion of artistic production in Montparnasse in the early 20th century.
Location: Pinacotheque de Paris
28 place de la Madeleine
Metro: Madeleine or Opera
When: Through September 9th, 2012
