The Musée d'Orsay celebrates its 40th anniversary!
Categories : Exhibition , Lifestyle
40 years of the Musée d’Orsay: the celebration programme
It was on 9 December 1986 that a former railway station built for the 1900 World’s Fair opened its doors as a museum. Forty years later, the Musée d’Orsay is celebrating its anniversary throughout 2026, with a line by Verlaine as its guiding thread: “Let us dream, it is time!”. Discover our selection of must-see events to help you plan your Parisian stay around them.
Thomas Jolly’s Boum 1986, 12 December
Boum 1986 is the highlight of the celebrations. On 12 December 2026, director Thomas Jolly, who masterminded the ceremonies for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, will transform the museum’s great nave into a dance floor. On the programme: a night of collective joy, conceived as a celebration of the venue itself.
Admission is free, but capacity is limited to 1,500 people and tickets are allocated by competition. Registration is available on the museum’s website.
A free weekend on 5 and 6 December
For one weekend, the museum opens its doors to everyone free of charge. On Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 December 2026, the Musée d’Orsay is hosting a festive, inclusive weekend. Everything is free and open to all: come in, wander freely and celebrate the anniversary together throughout the nave and galleries.
This is part of the “40th Anniversary Celebrations” series, running from 19 November to 12 December and bringing together concerts, performances and participatory workshops in the nave, auditorium and galleries. Mark your calendar for:
a concert by Aldebert (“Enfantillages”) and an edition of France Inter’s “Fabuleuses histoires du doudou”, for younger visitors;
the Popular Choir of the Opéra Comique, a singing workshop with Clara Brenier and a choreography workshop with Christine Bonneton;
Sophie Calle and Catherine Meurisse, special guests for the weekend;
a brass and percussion ensemble from the Radio France Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by David Guerrier.
Exhibitions to see during the 40th anniversary celebrations
Mary Cassatt: Choosing Independence (6 October 2026 – 31 January 2027). Nearly 80 paintings, pastels and prints restore this independent American artist, who lived in France for almost sixty years, to her rightful place as a central figure of Impressionism.
Jenny Holzer, “I Have Seen” (20 October 2026 – 21 February 2027). The American artist places fragments of artists’ letters and period writings in dialogue with the collections. Night-time projections are planned on the Seine-facing façade during the opening week.
Monet, One Hundred Years After His Death. The museum holds 251 works and documents by the master and offers a trail to help visitors better understand his technique, in partnership with the Musée de l'Orangerie.
Forty years of acquisitions, brought to light
The anniversary is also an opportunity to show how the collection has grown. It has roughly quadrupled since 1986: between 2015 and 2025, the museum acquired nearly 5,000 works, including 135 paintings, 155 sculptures and medals, 240 art objects and 2,250 photographs.
A dedicated room, Room 33, at the heart of the Impressionist galleries, showcases these acquisitions on a rotating basis. Upcoming displays include:
Marie Bracquemond: until 6 December 2026, featuring studies for her earthenware panel The Muses of the Arts;
Maurice Denis, Mystical Illustrator: until 3 January 2027;
Édouard Vuillard: from 15 December 2026 to 7 March 2027, as a prelude to the exhibition “Vuillard, Intimate Theatres” (23 March – 25 July 2027).
Another December highlight is the reopening of the 1848–1889 decorative arts galleries, featuring some 200 works. “40 years” labels will also identify the flagship acquisitions of the past decade throughout the visitor trail.
Stay at Hôtel Fabric to celebrate Orsay’s 40th anniversary
Between an afternoon with Cassatt and a night at the Boum, you need a base that matches the occasion. Hôtel Fabric, in the 11th arrondissement, is the ideal base for crossing Paris, from the Left Bank to our East Paris streets, and coming back to unwind after the festivities.
Book directly on the hotel website for your stay around the free weekend of 5 and 6 December, the Boum on the 12th, or simply to enjoy this wonderful new programme at the Musée d'Orsay.
Practical information
Venue: Musée d’Orsay, 62 rue de Lille, 75007 Paris
Celebrations: 19 November to 12 December 2026
Free weekend: 5 and 6 December
Boum 1986: 12 December, free admission, competition entry
Programme and tickets: musee-orsay.fr
Photo ©Ahmet Ölçüm - Unsplash
