Best Paris Exhibitions: Harold Ancart, Chris Ofili, Takashi Murakami, and More

A scintillating parade of must-see exhibitions are on view in Paris this fall, from the painterly explorations of Harold Ancart to the fantastical character studies of Takashi Murakami. Here, Whitewall shines light on immersive shows unveiled by Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain, Perrotin, Gagosian, and more.

Harold Ancart: Maison Ancart

Gagosian

October 14–December 20, 2024
4 rue de Ponthieu 75008 Paris

Gagosian raised the curtain on artist Harold Ancart’s radiant “Maison Ancart,” currently on view through December 20. Within the gallery’s lush space at 4 rue de Ponthieu, new paintings by the ever-inspired luminary spark captivating dialogue with Mother Earth’s exploratory nature.

“The trees, meadows, ponds, mountains, and other features operate as archetypal forms that Ancart revisits throughout this body of work. According to the artist, these subjects serve as an “alibi” for painting, providing a platform through which he can experiment with paint.” — Gagosian

What we love: The upper reaches (2024) takes over the upper floor of the gallery. Don’t miss this panoramic alpine triptych of haunting forest silhouettes, textured ridges, and deep sky.

Chris Ofili: Joyful Sorrow

David Zwirner

October 14—November 30, 2024
108, rue Vieille du Temple 75003 Paris

Artist Chris Ofili unveils his momentous first exhibition in France with David Zwirner. Titled “Joyful Sorrow,” the visionary’s new “Othello-Shroud” paintings are in rapturous conversation with the storytelling of William Shakespeare. The must-see presentation extends to a second site within Victoria Miro’s gallery space where dazzling works on paper are on display.

“The series on view in Paris continues the artist’s yearslong engagement with William Shakespeare’s Othello. For Ofili, the tragic Moorish general—whose emotions span the apexes of love and joy, and the nadirs of sorrow—powerfully embodies the dualities that structure our being human.” —David Zwirner

““I’ve read Othello many times and have listened to recordings of the text; I’ve seen stage performances and onscreen adaptations, and I continue to discuss it. It doesn’t go away.”

—Chris Ofili

What we love: The way this show engages the viewer—these paintings are framed and covered in a black shrowd that needs to be lifted in order to see the painting beneath.

“Arte Povera”

Bourse de Commerce

October 9, 2024—January 20, 2025
2 rue de Viarmes, 75001 Paris

Placing the tremendous Italian artistic movement of Arte Povera at its heart, the Bourse de Commerce, Pinault Collection embraces over 250 works of historic and contemporary magnificence. Illuminating the artistry of the movement’s major players such as Giovanni Anselmo, Alighiero Boetti, Pier Paolo Calzolari, Luciano Fabro, Jannis Kounellis, Mario Merz, Marisa Merz, Giulio Paolini, Pino Pascali, Giuseppe Penone, Michelangelo Pistoletto, Emilio Prini, and Gilberto Zorio, the poetic show is placed dynamically within an architectural gem designed by Tadao Ando.

“In the mid-1960s, a certain number of Italian artists, mainly from Turin, Genoa, Bologna, Milan, and Rome, gave rise to a body of work that is original, free-spirited, utterly unconventional, and non-dogmatic, one that expanded the domains of painting, sculpture, drawing, and photography, and which created the first ‘installations’ in art history, as well as performance works and actions. By using simple materials and techniques, these artists have created installations involving the viewer in the work itself. By privileging elements that are ‘natural’ and ‘rural’ (such as soil, potatoes, lettuce, water, coal, trees, and the living bodies of animals and humans), as well as ‘artificial’ and ‘urban’ (elements found in hardware stores such as stainless steel plates, lead ingots, light bulbs, wood beams, and neon tubes), their works trigger flows of physical, chemical, and even psychic energy, drawing on notions of memory and emotion to engage their viewers,” said the curator, Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev.

What we love: Idee di pietra—1532 kg di luce (“Ideas of stone – 1532 kg of light”) (2010) by Giuseppe Penone installed just outside the museum.

“Pop Forever, Tom Wesselmann &…”

Fondation Louis Vuitton

October 17, 2024—February 24, 2025
8 Av. du Mahatma Gandhi, 75116 Paris

In celebration of the enduring vibrancy of Pop Art, Fondation Louis Vuitton opens a soaring exhibition beckoning visitors into the multi-faceted artistic movement. of the 1960s. Stemming from the mesmeric paintings and investigations of Tom Wesselmann, artworks by 35 luminaries delve into the breadth of “Pop” perceptiveness.

In addition to works by Tom Wesselmann, the exhibition include works by Derrick Adams, Ai Weiwei, Njideka Akunyili Crosby, Evelyne Axell, Thomas Bayrle, Frank Bowling, Rosalyn Drexler, Marcel Duchamp, Sylvie Fleury, Lauren Halsey, Richard Hamilton, David Hammons, Jann Haworth, Barkley L. Hendricks, Hannah Höch, Jasper Johns, KAWS, Kiki Kogelnik, Jeff Koons, Yayoi Kusama, Roy Lichtenstein, Marisol, Tomokazu Matsuyama, Claes Oldenburg, Meret Oppenheim, Eduardo Paolozzi, Robert Rauschenberg, Martial Raysse, James Rosenquist, Kurt Schwitters, Marjorie Strider, Do Ho Suh, Mickalene Thomas, Andy Warhol, and Tadanori Yokoo.

What we love: Don’t miss the 1963 sculpture of John Wayne by Marisol.

“‘Pop Forever, Tom Wesselmann &…’ contextualize Tom Wesselmann’s work within art history, and offer fascinating perspectives on Pop Art, past, present and even future,”

—curators Dieter Buchhart and Anna Karina Hofbauer

Takashi Murakami

Perrotin

October 15—November 23, 2024
2bis avenue Matignon 75008 Paris

Perrotin unveils a fantastical solo presentation by luminary Takashi Murakami this fall, currently on view through November 23 at 2bis avenue Matignon. The artist’s beloved characters are blissfully united yet staged on diverse wood panels, allowing charming figures like Miss Good Things and Mr. Bad Things to truly enrapture all ages.

“For years now, exhibitions of Takashi Murakami’s work have come to resemble family reunions or new episodes of a longlasting television series. Or at least they share certain qualities with them—in particular, a cast of familiar and endearing characters who reappear in different forms, depending on the context and the medium (sculpture, painting, or video). Smiling flowers, mischievous looking character with two ears, mushrooms with dozens of eyes—the (often very popular) mascots invented by the Japanese artist over the last three decades awaken upon each new occasion, revealing in different spaces and presentations new facets of his bountiful imagination.” —Matthieu Jacquet

What we love: Tondos like “Kyoto Kōrin Mononoke Flower” are mesmerizing, with gold leaf details.