Zadkine Art Deco, the exhibition at the Zadkine Museum celebrating the centenary of Art Deco in Paris

The Zadkine Museum in Paris is celebrating Art Deco with Zadkine Art Déco, an exceptional exhibition running from November 15, 2025, to April 12, 2026. More than 90 works, sculptures, and pieces of furniture reveal Ossip Zadkine's close ties with the master decorators of the 1920s and 1930s.

TheZadkine Museum in Paris is dedicating a major exhibition toArt Deco and its famous eponymous sculptor. From November 15, 2025, to April 12, 2026, Zadkine Art Déco invites visitors to immerse themselves in the dialogue between sculpture and decorative arts through more than 90 works, sculptures, objects, and pieces of furniture from prestigious public and private collections. This exceptional exhibition highlightsOssip Zadkine's essential role in the birth and evolution of the Art Deco style in Paris.

Exploring Zadkine Art Deco means immersing yourself in the world of a major 20th-century artist who moved away from Cubism to embrace decorative arts and craftsmanship. The exhibition traces how Zadkine interacted with iconic designers suchas Eileen Gray, Marc Du Plantier, and André Groult. Presented in the sculptor's former studio in the heart of Paris's 6th arrondissement, the exhibition reveals how Zadkine sought to unite sculpture, color, and materials in an approach that was both artistic and decorative.

The decorative turn of a sculptor in search of new paths

Theexhibition opens with the period when Zadkine, curious about new approaches, explored color in sculpture, using techniques such as gilding, lacquer and gold leaf. This led to the creation of such singular pieces asOiseau d'or, a gilded plaster cast, and Torse d'hermaphrodite, created in collaboration withAndré Groult.

This path led him to collaborate with architects and design sculptures integrated into architecture, both in Paris and Brussels. His creations reflect a desire for dialogue between sculpture and space, resonating with the great buildings of the time.

The great international exhibitions revisited

Two key moments punctuate the scenography: theExposition internationale des arts décoratifs of 1925 and theExposition internationale of 1937, two key moments when Zadkine was called upon to showcase his direct-cutting skills. In 1925, he took part in the monumental decoration of the Pergola de la Douce France, presented on the esplanade of the Invalides, an edifice celebrating cut stone and the strength of artisanal gestures. This Pergola, reassembled ten years later in Étampes, can still be seen today and is a rare testimony to monumentalArt Deco.

At the museum, the Pergola is evoked through models, sketches and archive documents, which place Zadkine in the circle of renowned sculptors of the time, alongside Pompon and the Martel brothers.

Dialogues with the great Art Deco decorators

Theexhibition closes with a comparison of Zadkine 's works with those of the great decorators he frequented. Eileen Gray, a pioneer of modernist furniture, Marc Du Plantier, renowned for his refined interiors, and André Groult, a specialist in decorative techniques, share the space with Zadkine's sculptures. In the former workshop, objects, furniture and works of art interact, recreating the atmosphere of Art Deco interiors where these creations naturally found their place.

This unprecedented face-to-face encounter reveals the extent to which Zadkine was part of a collective dynamic, at the crossroads of sculpture and the decorative arts. Visitors can appreciate the richness of these artistic exchanges and Zadkine's role as a key figure in this creative period.

This exhibition is aimed above all at art history buffs,Art Deco enthusiasts, those curious about modern sculpture and those wishing to discover the rich dialogue between the plastic and decorative arts. It's ideal for a cultural outing with the family, a moment of discovery with friends, or a visit as a couple in an intimate setting.

On the other hand, if you're looking for an immersive digital, interactive or technology-focused experience, this proposal won't meet your expectations. The experience is based above all on the contemplation of works of art, the history of techniques and the discovery of refined craftsmanship.

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