Gabrielle Hébert Photography Exhibition at Musée d'Orsay Explores Female Artist's Legacy

The Musée d'Orsay in Paris is presenting an exhibition titled 'Gabrielle Hébert: Amour fou à la Villa Médicis' from October 28, 2025, to February 15, 2026. Curated by Marie Robert, the museum's chief curator of photography and cinema, the show focuses on Gabrielle Hébert (1853–1934), a German-born French photographer. Hébert, who married painter Ernest Hébert in 1880, began her photographic practice in 1888 while living at the Villa Medici in Rome, where her husband directed the French Academy. Over two decades, she produced thousands of images documenting artistic life, domestic scenes, and travels across Italy and Spain. The exhibition features original prints, albums, diaries, and cameras, alongside works by Ernest Hébert. It highlights Hébert's role as a pioneering female photographer who challenged gender norms and created an intimate visual chronicle of her era. The presentation will later travel to the Musée Départemental Ernest Hébert in La Tronche in spring 2026 and the French Academy in Rome – Villa Medici in autumn 2026.