Paris To Do List: May
by Zara Abubakar
© Pascal Bouclier
saint-germain-des-prés jazz festival
The Saint-Germain Jazz Festival will take place for several days around the middle of May. The festival, which started in 2001, will feature hundreds of jazz musicians in their lineup, in addition to masterclasses, conferences and exhibitions. Booking tickets is required.
May 16 - 30
https://festivaljazzsaintgermainparis.com/home/
© Laurent P.
Museums at Night
A large number of museums and monuments in Paris will have free entry and later closing times. More information can be found at https://nuitdesmusees.culture.gouv.fr/ for specific events.
May 14
© Zara Abubakar
Boldini: Pleasures and Days at the Petit Palais
Today, Boldini is largely remembered as a portrait artist, his subjects often being women of the upper classes, their dresses painted with Boldini’s signature swishing and violent brushstrokes. This retrospective is not only a look at his life and lesser known works, but also an entry into the wondrous world of the Belle Époque. Tickets for students and ages 18-26 at €12, free for under 18s.
March 29 - July 24
© Emmanuel Nguyen Ngoc
drawing now art fair
Created in 2007, Drawing Now Art Fair is a contemporary art fair dedicated to the art of drawing in Europe. Over 300 artists from 70 galleries are selected every year to be showcased. Tickets required, reduced rates from €9.
May 19 - 22
© PxHere
Printemps des Rues Festival
Paris’s “Spring of the Streets” festival will feature music, theatre, art, dance, comedy, and a number of other entertainment across the 10, 18th, 19th arrondissements and around the banks of Canal Saint-Martin.
May 28 - 29
© Ateliers d’Artistes de Belleville
belleville artists’ open studios
In lively and creative Belleville, more than 200 artists will open the doors to their studios to the public free of charge, with over 120 locations available for viewing.
May 20 - 23
https://ateliers-artistes-belleville.fr/les-portes-ouvertes/edition/
© Solo Sophie
concerts by candlelight at église saint-éphrem-le-syriaque
Enjoy a classical concert by candlelight of Liszt, Satie, and Beethoven at the Church of St Ephrem, located in the 5th arrondissement. Saint Ephrem was a Syrian saint, a deacon and theologian, author of hymns and poems. Reduced tickets from €19 for students.
May 6 and 26
© Shirley Jaffe / ADAGP, Paris
Shirley Jaffe: An American Woman in Paris at the Centre Pompidou
This exhibition at the Pompidou is a retrospective of Shirley Jaffe, an abstract artist whose early work is in the gestural abstract expressionist style, moving into a more geometric style in the 60s, when she moved in the Paris art scene. She spent most of her life in France, and died in 2016.
April 20 - August 29
https://www.centrepompidou.fr/en/program/calendar/event/agYUNKn