Agnès Varda’s Paris: an exhibition at the Musée Carnavalet

The Musée Carnavalet pays tribute to filmmaker and photographer Agnès Varda with a groundbreaking exhibition. Entitled Le Paris d’Agnès Varda, de-ci, de-là, this retrospective explores her deep attachment to the French capital.

An intimate dialogue between Paris and Varda

Agnès Varda, an icon of French cinema, was also a passionate photographer. Through her photographs, films and personal objects, the exhibition reveals an intimate, quirky Paris, marked by her mythical courtyard studio on rue Daguerre. “I don’t live in Paris, I live in the 14th”, she was fond of reminding us, underlining her deep connection with her neighborhood.

Two years of research for a unique retrospective

After two years’ work, the Musée Carnavalet team has brought together 130 prints, archives from Ciné-Tamaris and previously unseen extracts from films shot in Paris. Among the treasures on display are posters, publications and objects that once belonged to Varda. Her documentary Daguerréotypes (1975) and her short film L’opéra-Mouffe (1958) testify to her interest in working-class neighborhoods and their inhabitants.

On view from April 9 to August 24, 2025 at the Musée Carnavalet, Paris.

Also read: Art in the street: the world of posters at the Musée d’Orsay