Pierre Soulages, another light: the painter's works on paper on show at the Musée du Luxembourg

Almost three years after his death at the age of 102, Pierre Soulages is the subject of a major exhibition at the Musée du Luxembourg. Entitled " Pierre Soulages, une autre lumière. Peintures sur papier " , this artistic event is an opportunity to admire, as its name suggests, works on paper by the undisputed master of black paint.

Born in Rodez on December 24, 1919, and dying in Nîmes on October 25, 2022, Pierre Soulages produced a huge number of works over the course of his long career, including creations on paper. In 2019, the Rodez-based Soulages museum hosted an exhibition of 118 paintings on paper.

From September 17, 2025 to January 11, 2026, it's the turn of the Musée du Luxembourg in Paris to present some of these works on paper by Pierre Soulages to the general public. Some 130 works produced between the 1940s and early 2000s, including over thirty never-before-exhibited works, are unveiled in the magnificent exhibition " Pierre Soulages, une autre lumière. Paintings on paper " .

Long kept in the artist's studio, many of these paintings on paper were done in walnut stain, a medium favored by the artist for its qualities of transparency and opacity, as well as luminosity. "The wall at the entrance to the exhibition reads: "It was with the walnut stubs of 1947 that I was able to gather myself and obey a kind of inner imperative. Pierre Soulages also used ink and gouache for other works on paper.

The chronological layout of the exhibition provides a significant insight into the artistic evolution of Pierre Soulages ' paintings on paper. The artist, who always refused to establish a hierarchy between the different techniques he used, regularly employed the paper medium, and certain years were particularly prolific. His work on paper began with paintings featuring broad, assertive marks.

In 1977, Pierre Soulages produced a hundred large-scale vinyl gouaches. These were works in broad strokes across the white of the paper. But the painter refused to be confined to a single style, and produced a number of gouaches that left room for the color blue.

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Later, the artist returned to paper, notably for large-format works in graphite on a black background, a method he had never used before. After 2004, the master of outrenoir finally stopped using paper.

But the artist left behind an important collection, part of which is on show at the Musée du Luxembourg from September 17, 2025 to January 11, 2026. This is the first exhibition in a Paris museum to feature exclusively his paintings on paper.

The scenography designed for the occasion is simple but effective. On the white walls of the museum's various exhibition rooms, the works seem to write a score with a succession of white, black and eighth notes. Pierre Soulages, meanwhile, is present in a number of life-size portraits and video-projection interviews. Don't miss the opportunity to discover this little-known and little-exhibited facet of the French painter, who has been associated with abstract art since the late 1940s.

Pierre Soulages passed away on October 25, 2022, leaving a huge void in the art world, and particularly in contemporary art circles. Since 1979, Pierre Soulages had been passionate about"outrenoirs", those famous large-scale paintings covered in flat blacks that paradoxically play with light.

This new exhibition at the Musée du Luxembourg, entitled " Pierre Soulages, une autre lumière. Peintures sur papier " ( Pierre Soulages, another light. Paintings on paper ) , is sure to delight many painting enthusiasts, as well as lovers of abstract art. Join us from September 17, 2025 to January 11, 2026 to admire Pierre Soulages' works on paper.

The exhibition also features a 12-minute virtual reality experience (€7). With the voice ofIsabelle Huppert, this experience is an immersive journey through the evolution of Pierre Soulages' influences. The experience is only available on Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and on Monday from 10:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Musée du Luxembourg: opening times, prices, access... everything you need to know before you visit
The Musée du Luxembourg, France's leading museum of contemporary art, awaits you with ever more exhibitions and cultural events! Located in the heart of Paris' Latin Quarter, this emblematic museum is also steeped in history. Opening hours, access, prices, history... We take stock! [Read more]