It’s la Rentrée in France, the time of the year when people are back from their summer holidays and there’s a feeling of renewal in the air and it’s the time when museums and galleries put on new exhibitions galore. We’ve picked some of the best new events and openings for this autumn…
National Events in Autumn in France
Semaine du Gout – Taste Week: A foodie event taking place throughout France. Taste Week hosts events, workshops for the public include cooking classes, tastings and entertainment. 10-16 October, 2022 www.legout.com
1st November La Toussaint – All Saints’ Day: a day to remember loved ones who have passed on and place pots of colourful chrysanthemums on their graves.
11th November Armistice Day: commemorative services are held in almost every town and village in France in honour of those who lost their lives in World War I and other wars.
Beaujolais Nouveau: the new season’s wine arrives in cafés, bars & restaurants at midnight on Wednesday the night before the 3rd Thursday of November!
What’s New in France– Autumn 2022
Chateau de Versailles, Paris
18 October 2022 to 19 February 2023 New Exhibition: Louis XV, tastes and passions of a King
For the first time the Palace of Versailles is presenting a major exhibition dedicated to Louis XV to celebrate the 300th anniversary of his coronation. Born in 1710 in Versailles, Louis XV was and the great-grandson of Louis XIV. He became king at the age of five, in 1715, on the death of the Sun King and his reign spanned more than 50 years. The exhibition of more than 400 works looks at the man behind the crown and his passions for science, botany, architecture and more. Madame du Barry’s rooms in Versailles will also reopen to the public. The famous mistress of Louis XV had one of the most refined apartments in the palace, above the kings, and has been closed for restoration involving 50 craftsmen for almost two years. chateauversailles.fr
David Hockney at the Bayeux Tapestry Museum
22 September 2022 – 23 April 2023.
The Bayeux Tapestry Museum welcomes artist David Hockney for an exhibition of his giant fresco entitled ’A Year in Normandy.’ Hockney moved to Normandy in 2019, and, inspired by the Bayeux tapestry, created a 90-meter long frieze using digital brushes on an iPad. bayeuxmuseum.com
World Poached Egg Championship in Bordeaux
8-9 October 2022
If you’re lucky enough to be near the Château du Clos de Vougeot in the heart of Burgundy’s winegrowing countryside (department) on the first weekend of October, you’re in for a treat! It’s the ‘Ouef en Meurette’ World Championship where chefs compete in a poached egg in wine contest. Tastings, cooking classes and fun guaranteed. www.meurette.fr
Palais Galliera, Fahion Museum Paris
Frida Kahlo | September 15, 2022 – March 5, 2023
Frida Kahlo (1907-1954) is one of the most recognized and influential artists of the 20th century. For the first time in France and in close collaboration with the Museo Frida Kahlo, the exhibition brings together more than two hundred objects from Casa Azul, the house where Frida was born and raised. Cclothes, correspondence, accessories, cosmetics, medicines , medical prostheses etc. These personal effects were sealed by her husband, Mexican mural painter Diego Rivera, in 1954 when the artist died, and were rediscovered fifty years later, in 2004. The collection includes traditional Tehuana dresses, pre-Columbian necklaces that Frida collected, examples of corsets and hand-painted prostheses. Palaisgalliera.fr
Opening of the Glass Museum in Eure, Normandy
Lovers of glass sculptures, stained glass windows, Art Deco and Art Nouveau objects will love the François Décorchemont Glass Museum in a former 19th century hospice which is due to open in Autumn 2022. eure-tourism.com
Festival of Lights, Lyon
8- 11 December 2022
4 nights of enchantment in Lyon. The Festival is innovative, intriguing and startling, and best of all free of charge. Each night brings a different theme, colour scheme and vibe with designers from around the world taking part. Video, Music and Sound effects are used to accompany the vibrant images dotted around the city. Fetedeslumieres.fr
Nuit Blanche Paris
1-2 October 2022
This incredible free event sees the doors of some of the city’s most popular cultural sites and museums to the public. It takes place from dark on Saturday night until the wee hours of Sunday… Nuit Blanche Paris
