Creative workshop and other family activities at the Maurice Denis Museum in Saint-Germain-en-Laye for Museum Night 2026.

Calling all culture lovers... You are invited to the new edition of the Nuit des Musées, the famous free nighttime event inviting contemplation, discovery, and wonder, Saturday, May 23, 2026 in Paris and Île-de-France! An exceptional evening when museums light up in the dark and become stages for life, where art and history come alive in a new light.

Visitors let themselves be carried away by the sounds and sights, and lose themselves in the rooms, marvelling at the treasures they contain. During the Nuit des Musées, artists and the public rub shoulders, and performances and animations follow one another, drawing spectators into an inspiring creative whirlwind.

• To be read
• This week's top picks in Paris and Île-de-France, April 6–12, 2026.
• Night of Museums 2026: Programme, dates... Everything you need to know about this year's event in Paris and Île-de-France

Among the highlights to (re)discover in the Night of Museums 2026, the top pick is the departmental Maurice Denis Museum in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, in Yvelines. The institution is housed in a historic building, formerly a royal general hospital founded by Madam de Montespan. Maurice Denis, the famed painter and theorist, bought the property in 1914 and restored it to make it his home, which he named "Le Prieuré." The artist also restored the chapel of the old hospital, which has become a distinctive and complete religious complex representing his body of work.

The museum is dedicated to Symbolist, Nabis, Post-Impressionist and Pont-Aven painters. The highlight? The property's garden, laid out by Maurice Denis himself, is a peaceful, harmonious place, graced by sculptures byAntoine Bourdelle and several landscapes to discover as you stroll along.

The 2026 Night of Museums program at the Maurice Denis Departmental Museum

• Guided flash tours of the exhibition “Maurice Denis, Collector: Bonnard, Gauguin, Sérusier”
  Saturday, May 23, 2026 - 7:30 PM ⤏ 10:30 PM
  

  For Museum Night, the Maurice Denis Museum is opening its doors for free to give you a peek at its new exhibition: "Maurice denis collectionneur: Bonnard, Gauguin, Sérusier", through 30-minute flash guided tours.

  
  
  
• Family art workshop
  Saturday, May 23, 2026 — 7:30 PM ⤏ 10:00 PM
  

  For Museums Night, the Maurice Denis Museum opens its doors for free to unveil its new exhibition: "Maurice Denis, Collector: Bonnard, Gauguin, Sérusier".

  On this occasion, a family-friendly art workshop will be offered continuously by a cultural mediator from 7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.:

  "Reproducing a watercolor work to match the colors and lines exactly. Insert another drawing, invisible during the day but revealed at night, using phosphorescent paint. The piece thus reveals, when the lights go out, another story

  
  
  
• Participatory game: 'Crazy Auctions at the Priory'
  Saturday, May 23, 2026 - 8:00 p.m. ⤏ 10:00 p.m.
  

  For the Night of Museums, the Maurice Denis Museum opens its doors free of charge to showcase its new exhibition: "Maurice Denis: Collector — Bonnard, Gauguin, Sérusier," along with a grand game, "Crazy Auctions of the Priory."

  Visitors are invited to take part in a wide-reaching auction held in the chapel, from 8:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. At reception, they can pick up brochures listing eight works that will go up for auction, each one set to go under the hammer at a precise time slot. The winner is handed an envelope containing the winning work (facsimile).