This annual event is eagerly anticipated by all art lovers and heritage enthusiasts, as well as by the curious and those seeking great finds in Paris. On Saturday, May 23, 2026, the Night of Museums returns for its 22nd edition. The evening promises hundreds of venues to explore, along with activities, games, concerts, exhibitions, and many more surprises not to be missed across the capital and Île-de-France.
Nuit des Musées brings the whole of Paris to life, including the 13th arrondissement. If you're in the area, be sure to take a stroll down the Avenue des Gobelins, to visit the Mobilier National - Manufacture des Gobelins. This public establishment is the furniture repository of the French Republic: its mission is to furnish the country's official buildings, such as ministries and the Palais de l'Elysée. It is also responsible for the conservation, restoration and creation of crafts related to tapestry, furniture, woodwork, decoration, etc.
The Mobilier National conserves pieces and objets d'art dating from the 16th century to the present day, and sometimes exhibits these treasures in its Gobelins gallery. The Nuit des Musées is the perfect opportunity to visit this unique Parisian venue, and find out what's new at the institution.
On the occasion of the Night of Museums, the exhibition _Sèvres, a Rothschild Passion. From the Villa Ephrussi to Paris_ can also be explored by families, with a route specially designed for younger visitors.
A children’s booklet accompanies young explorers along the path, inviting them to observe, search, imagine, and gain a deeper understanding of the works on display. Wall labels tailored for younger audiences offer simple, accessible entry points for discovering the shapes, settings, and stories behind these remarkable pieces of porcelain.
Designed as an invitation to look at things differently, the route takes a sensitive, playful approach to the collections, enabling both kids and adults to share a moment of discovery around Sèvres’ expertise and the intriguing world of the Rothschild collectors.
In short, a child-friendly way to experience the exhibition—fueling curiosity, observation, and imagination.
On the occasion of the Night of Museums, the public is invited to freely explore the exhibition _Sèvres, a Rothschild Passion. From the Villa Ephrussi to Paris_ dedicated to the close ties between the famous porcelain manufacturer and one of Europe’s greatest gathering families.
From Frankfurt to Paris, from Vienna to London, the Rothschilds have, across generations, assembled an exceptional collection of 18th‑century Sèvres porcelain. Spectacular vases, forms inspired by architecture or the animal world, vivid colors and virtuoso decoration attest to the excellence of these crafts.
Presented in immersive scenography, these works converse with unpublished archives and evocations of interiors, offering a sensitive insight into the world of great collectors.
Born of an unprecedented collaboration between the National Manufactures – Sèvres & Mobilier national and the Académie des beaux-arts, owner of the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild, the exhibition offers a nine-section journey introduced by Béatrice Ephrussi de Rothschild. It traces the history of these masterpieces while recalling the spoliations suffered by the family, through exceptional loans from French and international institutions.
An invitation to freely wander through a history of taste, transmission and fascination.
As part of the artistic and cultural education initiative "La classe, l’œuvre!", the second-year History of Art students at Lycée Eugène Ionesco in Issy-les-Moulineaux slip into the role of mediators for one evening. They will present a selection of works from the exhibition _Sèvres, une passion Rothschild. De la villa Ephrussi à Paris_: porcelain vases, biscuits, or tableware will hold no secrets for visitors!
On the occasion of the Night of Museums, Sèvres craftsmanship demonstrations will punctuate the visit to the exhibition _Sèvres, une passion Rothschild. De la Villa Ephrussi à Paris_.
Directly tied to the works on display, these demonstration sessions will offer a close glimpse of the gestures and techniques behind porcelain creation. Shaping, decoration, precision of line, and subtlety of the finishes: all steps that testify to the excellence and richness of the arts and crafts mobilized within the manufacture.
These interventions provide a rare opportunity to see in action practices usually hidden from view, and to better understand the virtuosity of the pieces on display through the artisans who keep these savoir-faire alive today.
An invitation to enter the intimacy of the gesture, at the very heart of the material.
On the occasion of the Night of Museums, the public is invited to meet, exceptionally, Frantz Wehrlé, a decorative painter specializing in the faux-wood technique, who helped shape the exhibition's scenography _Sèvres, a Rothschild Passion. From the Villa Ephrussi to Paris._
Through live demonstrations and Q&A sessions, he will reveal the moves, tools, and nuances of this craft—how to deftly imitate different wood species with paint. This decorative technique, where art meets craftsmanship, recreates materials, textures, and perceptual effects with striking illusion.
Echoing the exhibition’s scenery, the event offers a rare chance to understand the behind-the-scenes of scenography and to get a close look at a métier rooted in observation, precision, and sure-handed technique.
An invitation to view surfaces and materials with fresh eyes, where illusion and reality intertwine.
On the occasion of the Night of Museums, visitors of all ages are invited to extend their experience with hands-on creative workshops inspired by the craft traditions of Sèvres.
Echoing the works in the exhibition _Sèvres, a Rothschild Passion. From the Villa Ephrussi to Paris,_ these sessions invite participants to explore material and technique, with a focus on clay modeling that reveals, in a sensitive way, the steps involved in porcelain creation.
Designed as moments of discovery and sharing, these practice sessions encourage everyone to experiment with shapes, volumes and textures, in a freely accessible, inclusive spirit.
For younger visitors or the less adventurous, coloring sheets inspired by Sèvres pieces will also be available, offering another entry point into the factory’s decorative universe.
An invitation to create, observe and imagine, up close to the very material.
On the occasion of the Night of Museums, choreographer Rodolphe Fouillot presents an unprecedented dance performance aligned with the exhibition _Sèvres, une passion Rothschild. De la Villa Ephrussi à Paris_.
This new work explores the delicate relationship between precious, fragile objects and the living body of the dancer. Drawing on resonances among different porcelains in the collection, the choreographic research gives rise to a singular vocabulary, underscoring each piece’s identity and turning their constraints into the departure point for a dance that is at once delicate, powerful and incisive.
Between past and present, between image and movement, between visual arts and the language of the body, the performance forges a subtle dialogue, revealing several layers of interpretation, much like the successive layers that shape Sèvres’s “white gold.”
An invitation to experience the exhibition differently, through gaze and motion.
A cultural evening not to be missed, as every year!
Dates and Opening Time
On May 23, 2026
Location
Manufacture des Gobelins
42 Avenue des Gobelins
75013 Paris 13
Prices
Free
Official website
www.mobiliernational.culture.gouv.fr
