Current exhibitions in Marseille

Exhibitions in the municipal museums of Marseille

Ce que la mer garde. Mémoire de la Méditerranée

Dates : From 23 May 2026 to 30 August 2026
Place: Centre de la Vieille Charité
Description: The exhibition What the Sea Keeps. Memories of the Mediterranean at the Centre de la Vieille Charité takes visitors on a journey through Mediterranean cultures, combining contemporary art, archaeology and ecology. It examines what the sea preserves, erases or reveals through the works of artists and heritage objects, while involving the public in a participatory approach. The exhibition invites visitors to reflect on the memories, stories and imaginations associated with the Mediterranean, between past, present and environmental issues.
Price: Free
Find out more about the “What the sea keeps” exhibition

Africa – Louisa Babari

Dates: From 15 May 2026 to 3 January 2027
Place: [mac] Musée d’Art Contemporain
Description: The AFRICA – Louisa Babari exhibition at the Musée d’Art Contemporain de Marseille invites visitors to immerse themselves in a universe combining plastic arts and sound, inspired by African cultures and Antiquity. Through monumental works created for the occasion, the artist conjures up an ancient bestiary and constructs a dialogue between the real and the imaginary, in connection with the museum’s collections. The exhibition offers an immersive and poetic experience, exploring African cultural heritage in a contemporary and sensitive way.
Admission: Free
Find out more about the Africa – Louisa Babari exhibition

Art nouveau – Art déco. Marseille au cœur des styles

Dates: From 8 May 2026 to 25 April 2027
Place: Château Borély, Museum of Decorative Arts, Earthenware and Fashion
Description: This exhibition at the Château Borély highlights, for the first time, an important but little-known period in the decorative and industrial arts in Marseille. It brings together around 180 works from major French institutions (such as the Musée d’Orsay and the Mobilier National) as well as rarely-exhibited local collections. Displayed on the first floor of the château, these pieces provide an opportunity to rediscover a Marseille heritage that is often overlooked.
Admission: €6
Find out more about the exhibition “Art nouveau – Art déco. Marseille at the heart of styles.

L’Ecologie des relations – La Forêt amante de la mer

Dates : From 7 February 2026 to 15 November 2026
Place: FRAC Sud
Description: A contemporary art exhibition exploring, through Japanese artists, the ecological, emotional and memorial links between humans and fragile living environments. It questions our relationship with the environment and the transformations of the world, particularly in the wake of the Fukushima disaster.
Admission: Free
Find out more about the “Ecology of Relationships” exhibition

Aliçe et les drôles d’oiseaux

Dates: From 17 December 2025 to 21 June 2026
Location: Natural History Museum
Description: Extended until 21 June, the “Alice and the funny birds” exhibition offers a playful immersion into the fascinating world of birds. Inspired by the world of Alice, it invites visitors to explore the diversity of species, their behaviour and their surprising peculiarities. Designed for a family outing in Marseille, this interactive exhibition combines scientific discovery and imagination to arouse the curiosity of young and old alike.
Price: Free
Find out more about the “Aliçe et les drôles d’oiseaux” exhibition

The Detaille family, photographers of Marseille (1860-2024)

Dates : From 31 October 2025 to 31 October 2026
Place: Marseille History Museum
Description: The “Detaille: photographers of Marseilles (1860-2024)” exhibition at the Musée d’Histoire de Marseille highlights over a century of photography through the work of three generations of the Detaille family, major figures in Marseilles photography. Thanks to a studio collection recently acquired by the city, it reveals the historical and cultural wealth of Marseilles, offering a unique insight into the development of the area and its inhabitants.
Admission: free
Find out more about the “Les Detaille” exhibition