Delacroix observed exotic wild animals there. Gustave Moreau drew inspiration for his subjects there. Since 1626, the National Museum of Natural History has never been merely a place of science: it has also been a source of inspiration for generations of artists. To mark its 400th anniversary, the institution is presenting a major exhibition that traces this unique relationship between artistic creation and the development of natural history knowledge.
A First-of-Its-Kind Exhibition for the 400th Anniversary of the Natural History Museum of Paris
The National Museum of Natural History is one of France’s oldest scientific institutions, founded under Louis XIII. To mark its 400th anniversary, more than 300 works and objects will be brought together. You’ll be able to admire previously unseen paintings, astonishing sculptures, drawings, photographs, and taxidermied specimens—all created by more than 120 artists and scientists. The exhibition explores an often-blurred boundary: where does scientific craftsmanship end and artistic creation begin?
The exhibition draws on figures as diverse as the painter Pierre-Joseph Redouté, a master of botanical illustration, and the sculptor Emmanuel Frémiet, whose animal sculptures have long adorned the paths of the Jardin des Plantes. Over the centuries, depicting animals, plants, and minerals was not merely an aesthetic exercise: it was a fundamental tool for naming, classifying, and understanding the natural world.
The exhibition is part of a broader program celebrating the museum’s 400th anniversary. Four centuries during which art and science have advanced side by side, often indistinguishable from one another. Don’t miss it from September 23, 2026, to March 7, 2027!
Location: 6 rue Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 75005 Paris
Dates: September 23, 2026, to March 7, 2027