Louise Bourgeois Drawings and Prints Take Over BnF Richelieu in First Paris Public Show Since 2008
From October 20, 2026, until February 21, 2027, the Richelieu location of the Bibliothèque nationale de France will host an exhibition dedicated to the engraved and drawn works of Louise Bourgeois. This display includes a donation from 1995 comprising approximately one hundred prints, lithographs, engravings, and paper proofs, alongside ninety-one pieces from the Centre Pompidou. Marking the first public exhibition of Bourgeois in Paris since 2008, notable works on view include a self-portrait from 1942, the He Disappeared into Complete Silence series, Femmes-Maisons, and Extrême Tension. The BnF Richelieu is situated at 5 rue Vivienne, 75002 Paris, operating Tuesday from 10am to 8pm and Wednesday to Sunday from 10am to 6pm, closed on Mondays. Admission costs 15 euros, with a reduced rate of 10 euros, and free entry for those under 26.
Key facts
- The exhibition runs from October 20, 2026 to February 21, 2027 at the BnF Richelieu site.
- It is Louise Bourgeois's first exhibition in a Parisian public institution since 2008.
- The show draws on a 1995 donation of about one hundred prints, lithographs, engravings and paper proofs.
- Ninety-one works from the Centre Pompidou augment the BnF holdings.
- The display opens with a 1942 self-portrait and includes He Disappeared into Complete Silence, Femmes-Maisons and Extrême Tension.
- Final rooms feature red inks, fabric dyes and saturated gouaches.
- Bourgeois's parents restored antique tapestries; as a child she drew missing parts, usually feet and legs.
- Venue: 5 rue Vivienne, 75002 Paris; Tuesday 10am–8pm, Wednesday–Sunday 10am–6pm, closed Monday; admission 15 euros, reduced 10 euros, free under 26.
Entities
Artists
Institutions
- BnF
- Bibliothèque nationale de France
- Centre Pompidou
- BnF Richelieu
Locations
- Paris
- France
- New York
- United States
- 5 rue Vivienne
- 75002 Paris
- Bourse