Marie-Antoinette, a queen at Saint-Cloud: the Musée des Avelines historical exhibition

Marie-Antoinette of Austria left her mark on French history, but also on that of the Château de Saint-Cloud. In 1785, Louis-Philippe d'Orléans ceded the Château de Saint-Cloud to the new Queen of France, who wished to make the palace a refuge and haven of peace, far from the hustle and bustle of Versailles. The Musée des Avelines tells the story of the queen's imprint on Saint-Cloud, in a free exhibition on view from September 20 to December 14, 2025.

The exhibition Marie-Antoinette, une reine à Saint-Cloud brings together drawings and engravings, objets d'art, antique furniture and modern digital devices.

Upon her arrival at Saint-Cloud, Marie-Antoinette set about transforming the château, launching major expansion and renovation projects. Her sense of fashion, decoration and refinement led her to embellish and refresh her new apartments, but not only that. The queen decided to develop the entire town of Saint-Cloud, building a chapel, a new church, moving the hospice to a larger building...

• To be read
• This week's top deals and tips in Paris and Île-de-France, from March 9 to 15, 2026
• Free museums and monuments in Paris and the Ile-de-France region: cultural tips

The exhibition at the Musée des Avelines highlightsMarie-Antoinette's legacy not only in the city, but also in art and decoration. The exhibition features a room reconstructed from the furniture and objets d'art installed in the sovereign's Clodaldian apartment. Painted fabrics, natural motifs, refined textiles, precious objects: the queen chose a luxurious, secure cocoon for her apartments.

This style came back into fashion during the 19th century, and the figure of Marie-Antoinette enjoyed new renown, a sign of the importance of this special figure in French history. Even today, many artists and designers draw inspiration from the French queen for their creations. In particular, the Musée des Avelines has chosen to showcase a video game developed by a French studio, which plunges us into a dystopian rewriting of the French Revolution. Films and series also take up this period and this character, to produce stories that are more or less faithful to reality.

With this historic exhibition, the Musée des Avelines aims to demonstrate the importance of Marie-Antoinette in French culture, and her lasting influence on the town of Saint-Cloud.