The exceptional Manga Exhibition at the Guimet Museum is unveiled: take a journey through Japanese art.

The Manga exhibition at the Guimet Museum promises to be an extraordinary journey through the history of Japanese comics. From November 19, 2025, to March 9, 2026, come and discover how manga artistshave established themselves as major artists, drawing on Japanese tradition while revolutionizing modern visual storytelling.

This exceptional cultural exhibition takes over the three galleries of the Musée national des arts asiatiques - Guimet, located at 6 place d'Iéna in the 16th arrondissement. Open every day except Tuesday, from 10am to 6pm, this emblematic venue near the Trocadéro offers the ideal setting for this artistic discovery. Accessible via the Iéna (line 9), Trocadéro (lines 6, 9) or Boissière (line 6) metros, the museum is just a stone's throw from the Eiffel Tower, making for a delightful cultural stroll through the Chaillot district.

Video of the Manga exhibition at the Guimet Museum:

The exhibition begins by exploring the origins of this popular art form, revealing the complex influences that have shaped modern manga. We will discover the importance of the Japanese satirical press, the early days of animation, and the fascinating kamishibai, a form of street theater for children that has left its mark on the Japanese collective imagination. The exhibition particularly highlights the painted scrolls and illustrated books of the 18th and 19th centuries, the true ancestors of contemporary manga.

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It is impossible to talk about this history without mentioning Osamu Tezuka, a leading figure featured in the exhibition. His talent, prolific output, and techniques have made him a leading figure and earned him titles such as the father of manga, the godfather of manga, and even the god of manga. This visionary creator, influenced by Walt Disney, revolutionized Japanese narrative art with more than 170,000 pages of drawings and around 700 signed works. His iconic creations, such as Astro Boy and King Leo, laid the foundations for modern manga, introducing the large, expressive eyes and cinematic techniques that still characterize Japanese comics today.

The exhibition then immerses us in the Japanese counterculture of the 1960s and 70s and the alternative magazines it inspired. This period saw the emergence of new narratives and a daring mix of genres, revolutionizing the traditional approach to graphic storytelling. The exhibition explores how these innovations contributed to making manga a global phenomenon.

One of the highlights of the exhibition will be the unprecedented dialogue between Japanese pop culture characters and the museum's classic works. This creative confrontation will establish a fascinating bridge between millennial tradition and modernity, showing how contemporary art draws on Japan's cultural heritage. The exhibition will also feature haute-couture gowns inspired by the manga universe, testifying to the lasting influence of this art form on international fashion.

An entire room pays homage to Hokusai's iconic print, "Under the Great Wave off Kanagawa", and its many reappearances in manga and Franco-Belgian comics. The Great Wave is one of the prints in the "Thirty-six views of Mount Fuji" series by Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849), one of the masters of the ukiyo-e genre, a Japanese term meaning "images of the floating world". This section perfectly illustrates how traditional Japanese visual codes continue to inspire contemporary creators.

The third part invites us to discover the little-known world of ancestral graphic techniques. From dream bubbles to representations of light rays and explosive flatulence, these historic works testify to the wide range of Japanese narrative art, blending humor and edifying tales with remarkable technical mastery.

If you love reading, amanga libraryawaits you on the first floor, where you can sit down and indulge your passion with numerous works to browse through. 

This manga exhibition takes place against a particularly favorable backdrop. In 2023, 39.6 million copies were sold in France, representing more than one comic book title in two, according to the GfK institute. This success makes France the world's second-largest manga market after Japan, confirming the French craze for Japanese culture.

The event is curated byEstelle Bauer, curator of the Japan collections at the Musée Guimet, and Didier Pasamonik, publisher and journalist specializing in comics. Their expertise guarantees an approach that is both rigorous and accessible, enabling neophytes and enthusiasts alike to understand the artistic and cultural challenges of manga.

To extend your discovery, the museum also offers other remarkable exhibitions such as "Royal Bronzes of Angkor." This rich program makes the Guimet Museum an essential destination for all lovers of Asian art.

This exhibition reminds us that behind every manga lies centuries of Japanese artistic tradition, reinvented with genius by visionary creators. It's a wonderful way to discover how a popular Japanese art form has conquered the world, exerting a lasting influence on animation, fashion and contemporary art. Reservations will soon be available on the museum's official website.

From November 19, 2025 to March 9, 2026, don't miss this exciting exhibition, which plunges you into the history and universe of manga, between artistic heritage and contemporary creations. A must-see for anyone wishing to discover or rediscover this art form that fascinates people the world over.