Intimacy Exhibition at MAD Paris Explores Private to Public

The exhibition 'Intimità. Dalla camera da letto ai social network' at MAD – Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, running until March 30, 2025, examines the evolution of intimacy from the 18th century to today. Curated by Christine Macel and Fulvio Irace, with scientific consultancy by Jean-Louis Fréchin and set design by Italo Rota, the show features 470 works including paintings, photographs, decorative arts, and design objects. Visitors enter through a giant keyhole, symbolizing the voyeuristic gaze into private life. The exhibition traces how the bedroom and dressing room—once the most intimate domestic spaces—have become stages for TikTokers and influencers, reflecting a shift from privacy to exhibitionism. Twelve sections explore themes like sleep, eroticism, sexuality, beauty, body care, togetherness, promiscuity, and isolation. Highlights include works by Édouard Vuillard, Edgar Degas, Zanele Muholi, David Hockney, Henri Cartier-Bresson, and Nan Goldin, alongside design pieces such as Superstudio's Bazaar Sofa and sex toys by Éric Berthes x Sonia Rykiel. The show interrogates the contemporary fragility of privacy and the emotional intimacy that can lead to isolation.