L’Âge d’or du romantisme allemand
Until June 15
The era of Goethe (1749-1832) saw an immense development of skill in drawing, which came to dominate the practice of fine arts in Germanic countries. This show presents the fruits of this extraordinary flowering with an ensemble of sketches and watercolours by some 60 artists, including prominent figures like C. D. Friedrich, P. O. Runge, and J. G. von Dillis. €5.50-7.
Musée de la vie romantique, hôtel Scheffer-Renan, 16, rue Chaptal, Paris 9. Mº Blanche. 01 55 31 95 67. www.vie-romantique.paris.fr

Louise Bourgeois Retrospective
Until June 2
The exhibition examines how the French artist, now living in New York, developed her distinctive visual language. On display are around 100 works dating from 1940 to 2005, including drawings of her well-known impressive metal sculptures. €8-10.
Centre Pompidou, Paris 4. Mº Rambutea. 01 44 78 12 33. www.centrepompidou.fr

Babylone at the Louvre
March 14 - June 2
The civilization of Babylon has assumed mythical status in the modern imagination. This exhibition attempts to reconcile history and legend, bringing together statues, precious objects, manuscripts, and tablets from various epochs of Babylon itself as well as drawings and documents dating from the 17th century when scholars rediscovered the Babylonians. €6-9.50.
Musée du Louvre, 99, rue de Rivoli, Paris 1. Mº Palais Royal. 01 40 20 53 17. www.louvre.fr

Marie Antoinette
March 15 – June 30
Of all France’s historical figures, Marie-Antoinette has perhaps the most enduring grip on the public imagination: The woman we love to hate. This exhibition sifts through the myriad perceptions of “the Austrian”—archetypal heartless beauty or youthful victim of the Versailles court? Debauched libertine or feather-brained extravagant consumer? €10.
Grand Palais, 3, avenue Général Eisenhower, Paris 8. Mº Champs Élysées-Clemenceau. 01 44 13 17 17. www.rmn.fr/galeriesnationalesdugradpalais

Les Soldats de l’Eternité: Les Guerriers de Xi’an
April 15 - September 14
In 1974, farmers digging a well in Xi’an, China, discovered a life-sized terracotta group of warriors and their horses. The clay troops, thousands strong, were created to usher China’s First Emperor, Qin Shihuan, into the afterlife. Think the journey to the Shaanxi province is a little far? About 20 soldiers plus other artefacts are at the Pinacothèque. €7-9.
La Pinacothèque de Paris, 28, place de la Madeleine, Paris 8. Mº Madeleine. 01 42 68 02 01. www.pinacotheque.com

Cellar Door
Until May 4
Loris Gréaud demonstrates he’s on the cutting edge of the French art scene with film, sound, installations, and even pyrotechnics. It’s the first time that the Palais has dedicated its entire space to a French artist under 30: Go and decide for yourself if the accolade is warranted. €4.50-6.
Palais de Tokyo, 13, avenue du Président Wilson, Paris 16. Mº Alma Marceau. 01 47 23 54 01. www.palaisdetokyo.com

A.R. Penck
Until May 11
Although A.R. Penck left East Germany in 1980, the dissonance between Eastern and Western political systems, and society and the individual, continues to inform his work. Penck’s first French retrospective assembles an exceptional body of paintings, sculptures, objects, and sketchbooks dating from 1961 to 2005. €4-8.
Musée d’Art moderne de la Ville de Paris, 11, avenue du Président Wilson
75116 Paris. Mº Iéna. 01 53 67 40 00. www.mam.paris.fr

Pilar Albarracin, Mortel Cadencia
Until May 18
Pilar Albarracin questions the culture and rituals of the traditional division of male and female roles of her native Andalusia and that of sexual identity. With both force and humour, Albarracin’s videos, performances, sculpture, photography, and installations critique the local ways of life. €4.50-6.50.
La maison rouge, 10, boulevard de la Bastille, Paris 12. Mº Quai de la Rapée. 01 40 01 08 81. www.lamaisonrouge.org

Vlamnick, Un instinct fauve
Until July 20
Along with Matisse and Derain, Maurice de Vlaminck was a leading figure in the Fauvist movement—a group of artists united in their use of intense colour. This exhibition presents a selection of his striking canvases created between 1900 and 1915. €8-10.
Musée du Luxembourg, 19, rue de Vaugirard, Paris 6. Mº Saint Sulpice. 01 45 44 12 90. www.museeduluxembourg.fr

Van Dyck graveur, l’art du portrait
Until May 5
The Louvre has brought together a number of Van Dyck’s etchings and sketches from public and private collections. Aside from their aesthetic appeal, these drafts illuminate the evolution of the iconography of the Flemish master’s portraiture and the broader development of symbolism at the end of the 17th century. €6-9.
Musée du Louvre, 99, rue de Rivoli, Paris 1. Mº Palais Royal. 01 40 20 53 17. www.louvre.fr

Guerre et Poste
Until March 10
The Musée de la Poste has gathered over 600 objects and documents, plus 20 original drawings by Jacques Tardi, around the theme of post in wartime France from 1870 to 1945. As well as examining the difficult logistics of running a postal service in such circumstances, the exhibition evokes the fears and hopes of ordinary citizens and soldiers separated by war and linked only by the tenuous thread of mail. €3.50-5.
Musée de la Poste, 34, boulevard de Vaugirard, Paris 15. Mº Montparnasse-Bienvenüe. 01 42 79 24 24. www.museedelaposte.fr

Les Femmes du Monde
Until March 30
Throughout his lengthy wanderings over five continents, former sailor Titouan Lamazou found himself inspired by the women from the different cultures he encountered. “Les Femmes du Monde” is the resulting remarkable collection of sketches, photographs, and paintings. €5-7.
Musée de l’Homme, 17, place du Trocadéro, Paris 16. Mº Trocadéro. 01 40 79 36 00. www.mnhn.fr

Chefs d’oeuvre du Delta du Gange
Until March 31
For the first time outside of Bangladesh, the Musée Guimet is showcasing the country’s rich heritage, including enormous religious statues uncovered in recent decades. Taking advantage of archeological work, which has revealed vestiges civilization dating back as far as the 6th century B.C., the exhibition is able to document and contextualize these diverse cultural artifacts. €5-7.
Musée Guimet, 6, place d’Iéna, Paris 16. Mº Iéna. 01 56 52 53 00. www.museeguimet.fr

La Pub S’Anime
Until April 6
Aficionados of pop culture or nostalgic Parisians can retrace for the first time the development of cartoon advertisements in France, from primitive “optical theatres” at the end of the 19th century, to the sophistication of modern 3D animations. Over 100 films will be screened during the exhibition’s run, alongside archive images, photographs, and interviews with those involved in the industry. €6.50-8.
Musée de la Publicité, 107, rue de Rivoli, Paris 1. Mº Palais Royal. 01 44 55 57 50. www.lesartsdecoratifs.fr

La Méditerranée des Phéniciens
Until April 20
Navigators and skilled traders, the Phoenicians left their mark throughout the Mediterranean. The Institut du Monde Arabe traces the development of these prodigious people over a thousand years via a wealth of artefacts, from anthropoid sarcophaguses to coins and religious statues in metal and stone. €6-10.
Institute du Monde Arabe, 1, rue des Fossés-Saint-Bernard, Paris 5. Mº Jussieu. 01 40 51 39 60. www.imarabe.org