Top 10 trendy arty spots in Paris

Are you ready to see the trendy arty side of Paris? The French capital is brimming with all kinds of culture and art spots. To help you find your way through them, here’s our pick of the 10 trendiest arty spots right now, which you simply must check out!

1. L’Atelier des Lumières
2. The Cinémathèque française
3. The 104
4. The Cartier-Bresson Foundation
5. The Palais de Tokyo
6. Ground Control
7. Lafayette Anticipation – Galeries Lafayette corporate foundation
8. The Docks, Cité de la Mode et du Design
9. L’Aérosol
10. Les Grands Voisins

The first Digital Art Centre to open in Paris did so in the spring of 2018. The concept is simple: like the Carrières de Lumière in Beaux-de-Provence, this former foundry complex has been converted into a space hosting stunning digital shows against a musical backdrop - total immersion in this art form.

Get immersed in the 7^th art form from its beginnings onwards! Within the Cinémathèque française, at the Cinema Museum you can see parts of sets, costumes and props, and also old cameras, models, posters, manuscripts and more.  It’s also the perfect place to watch cinematic gems, attend conferences, master classes, audiences with artists and retrospectives. The little café and bookshop inside are very nice.

Exhibitions, dance shows, concerts, yoga classes, theatre, etc. The program at the Centquatre is a varied one! A huge courtyard and various buildings around it host amateur street artists all day long. As for the show program, two rooms are dedicated to theatre, dance shows and music, not forgetting the many expositions that take place here! As for relaxation, there are yoga and meditation workshops, plus a café and bookshop.

Photography takes centre stage at the Cartier-Bresson Foundation All year round, the program is all about exhibitions and audiences with artists. The photo exhibitions are related to Henri Cartier-Bresson and his wife Martine Franck. The tour doesn’t take long, and it’s always pleasant for fans of the 6^th art form!

A stone’s throw from the Eiffel Tower, head to Europe’s biggest contemporary art centre: the Palais de Tokyo or Palais des Arts Modernes. Here, paintings, sculptures, screenings, unusual installations, concerts, workshops, performances and all kinds of art blend together and pay tribute to visual and contemporary arts. Also worth seeing: the adjacent garden, which is divided into 16 plots and landscaped by 16 different gardeners, as well as the underground spaces.

A great one-stop shop, Ground Control hosts food trucks, pop-up shops, workshops, a large terrace, a radio studio, concerts and art spaces spanning 6000 m². There are also limited edition photos, an art gallery, a lutemaker’s workshop, a sport and wellness area, a garden centre and a kids’ zone!

Lafayette Anticipation is a place dedicated to art where artists set up residence to experiment, produce and show all kinds of works of art. You can tour the production studios in small groups at the weekend to explore the Foundation’s basement, see various 3D printers, woodwork and metalwork, bookbinding and more. All year round, exhibitions and performances change in line with the pieces created by the artists present.

There are three big events each year at the Docks: fashion photography each spring, an interactive themed exhibition each summer and a study of a given country each winter. All year round you can get acquainted with new talent in this place where innovation, culture and style meet. The Cité also houses cafés, the French Fashion Institute, restaurants, clubs and a rooftop deck to top off the experience.

L’Aérosol is also a multifaceted place. Museum, DJ sets, market, comic strip library, snack bar, walls where visitors can express their creativity, etc. This temporary art space allows you to see different street art frescoes every time you visit (or almost). There’s even a wall given over to those wanting to try their hand at street art: a can of spray paint or a marker - pick what you prefer!

>> More arty spots in Paris, that are not museums!

The second season of the Grands Voisins started in April 2018 and will continue until June 2020. During this time, 10,000 m² of buildings and 3 500 m² of outside space will be occupied on the former Saint-Vincent-de-Paul hospital site. The idea is a simple one: to combine the renovation of neighbourhoods with various social groups whilst fighting social isolation and exclusion. In practical terms there are creative resources at hand, bars, accommodation units, boutiques-studios, a conference room and more.