Rush down to the French National Library (BNF), near our hotels, for the first large-scale exhibition about the apocalypse!

What is it? Why is it? Where did it come from? Explore the perception of the apocalypse from the Middle Ages to the present day through nearly 300 manuscripts, photos, paintings, installations, sculptures and film excerpts.

The apocalypse has fascinated people for centuries, inspiring artists to create incredible scenes of the world ending, with panic and pain, and yet there’s a certain morbid attraction to the event, or perhaps rather a certain sense of impunity – could something so absolutely horrible really be triggered by the actions of human beings?

This new exhibition at the BnF (French National Library) is divided into three sections looking at the apocalypse at different points in time:

— The Book of Revelations, the most famous western apocalyptic text that includes key elements such as the seven seals and the Last Judgement, revealing the positive side of a revelation rather than a tragic end,
— The Time of Catastrophes, showing the tenacious and long-lasting fascination of artists from Dürer to Brassaï, and
— The Day After, with contemporary art pieces interpreting the aftermath of the apocalypse with lots of inventiveness.

With important loans from the Pompidou Centre, Musée d’Orsay, British Museum, Victoria and Albert Museum and others, close to 300 exhibits await you.

Linked with the exhibition, there are an impressive number of events and activities, including:

— Three guided visits (one of which is “immersive and inclusive” 🤔) and a visit followed by an engraving workshop lasting 3 hours altogether,

— Free debates and conferences (to be booked here),

— A film retrospective Apocalypse and Movies at the Cinémathèque française from 12th February – 2nd March 2025, with 25 films! You’ll find the full programme here.

— And the BnF has gone as far as creating a ‘point & click’ video game for the exhibition, called Mission Apocalypse. It’s in French, but not too wordy, and you can play online here and on-site.

A catalogue of the exhibition (264 pages, 150 illustrations, 49€) is also available for around 49€ here at your local Amazon.

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The exhibition Apocalypse – Yesterday and Tomorrow is at the BnF (here) until 8th June 2025

Open Tuesday-Saturday, 10am-7pm, and Sundays from 1-7pm

Admission: 15€ / 13€

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Une publication partagée par Bibliothèque nationale France (@labnf)