BnF Richelieu presents 'Histoires d'animaux'

The BnF Richelieu museum in Paris is hosting 'Histoires d'animaux', an exhibition exploring the representation of animals in art, science, and literature from the Middle Ages to the present. The show, held in the Galerie Mazarin, features a diverse array of works including manuscripts, prints, scores, and watercolors from the BnF's collections. Highlights include Albrecht Dürer's famous woodcut of a rhinoceros, which he created based on a description without ever seeing the animal, and works such as the Roman de Renart, the Bête du Gévaudan, Audubon's life-size birds, and Jean de Brunhoff's Babar. The exhibition examines how animals have served as moral mirrors, game, status symbols, and beloved companions, revealing human beliefs and appetites. It also touches on themes of human impact on biodiversity, as seen in Pierre Boulle's Planet of the Apes. Due to the fragility of the works, the display will be renewed three times over the year, with sections dedicated to cats and dogs, including a manuscript by Colette and Erik Satie's 'Préludes flasques (pour un chien)'. The exhibition runs from September 18, 2026, to August 29, 2027, at the BnF Richelieu, 5 rue Vivienne, 75002 Paris. Opening hours are Tuesday 10am-8pm, Wednesday to Sunday 10am-6pm, closed Mondays. Admission is €15 (reduced €10), free for under 26s.