Exhibition
Clair-Obscur & Clouds
Exhibition
Clair-Obscur & Clouds
Exhibition at the Bourse de Commerce
Clair-Obscur – A Journey Through Shadow and Light
Clair-Obscur – A Journey Through Shadow and Light
Until 24 August 2026
&
Fujiko Nakaya’s Cloud #07156
Until 14 September 2026
Exhibitions at the Bourse de Commerce
The Rotunda of the Bourse de Commerce has been transformed into a cloud of mist by Fujiko Nakaya’s installation Cloud #07156, created as part of the exhibition Clair-Obscur. Alongside this immersive work, around 100 pieces from the Pinault Collection trace the use of chiaroscuro from the Renaissance to the present day.
Featured artists include major figures such as Alberto Giacometti, renowned German photographer Wolfgang Tillmans, and Sigmar Polke, one of the most influential German artists of the post-war period, represented here by his monumental work Axial Age. Other significant artists on display include Bruce Nauman, Jean Dubuffet, and Pierre Huyghe.
Bourse de Commerce
Tickets
The details
at a glance
Exhibition
Clair-Obscur – A Journey Through Shadow and Light
Until 24 August 2026
&
Fujiko Nakaya’s Cloud #07156
Until 14 September 2026
Opening Hours
Monday, Wednesday to Sunday, 11.00 – 19.00 h
Extended opening hours until 21.00 h on Fridays
Closed on Tuesdays
Prices
Time-based tickets
EUR 15 for adults
EUR 10 for 18- to 26-year-olds
Free entry for children under 18 (reservations still required)
Free extended opening hours on the first Saturday of the month from 17.00 to 21.00 h (expect queues)
Day ticket
EUR 20 for adults
EUR 17 for 18- to 26-year-olds
Audio guide
Free and without download at visite.boursedecommerce.fr
General audio guide to the history and architecture of the Bourse de Commerce, available in various languages. The exhibitions are in French and English.
ICOM Card
Free entry, but reservation required.
The Background
Chiaroscuro Painting
Chiaroscuro is a painting technique that creates depth, drama and atmosphere through the striking contrast between light and shadow. Originally developed during the Renaissance, it reached its peak in the Baroque period, particularly through artists such as Caravaggio.
In works such as “The Calling of Saint Matthew” (1599–1600, Church of San Luigi dei Francesi, Rome), Caravaggio used chiaroscuro to heighten emotional tension and draw the viewer directly into the scene. Rembrandt van Rijn likewise employed the technique to create emotional depth and an almost magical atmosphere. His masterpiece “The Night Watch” (1642, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam) is renowned for its masterful use of light.
The exhibition title Clair-Obscur refers directly to this artistic technique. Here, light and darkness are interpreted as a philosophical principle, exploring the duality between the visible and the hidden, the conscious and the unconscious.
My Highlights
Without a doubt, Fujiko Nakaya’s Cloud #07156 tops my list. It is the centrepiece of the exhibition and everyone seems to be talking about it at the moment.
The Japanese artist Fujiko Nakaya has created a work of art from something that is normally impossible to grasp: fog. Rather than using stone, metal or paint, she works solely with water and air. Through a system of specialised high-pressure nozzles, billions of tiny water droplets are released, repeatedly transforming the Rotunda of the Bourse de Commerce into a dense cloud of mist.
What makes the installation so fascinating is that it never looks the same twice. Temperature, humidity, air currents and even the movements of visitors influence the shape of the fog. Every moment is therefore unique, and each visitor experiences the artwork in a slightly different way.
Nakaya is regarded as a pioneer of so-called fog sculptures and has been working with this unusual medium since the 1970s. For the Bourse de Commerce, she created an installation that interacts perfectly with the building’s architecture. The mist repeatedly conceals and reveals the striking concrete cylinder designed by architect Tadao Ando, constantly altering the perception of the space.
The view from the upper galleries is particularly impressive. From above, the installation resembles a vast sea of clouds, while at ground level visitors can walk directly through the drifting mist.
Even the title carries a special meaning. The number 07156 refers to a weather station located near the Bourse de Commerce, creating a link between the artificially generated fog inside the building and the natural weather phenomena outside. For Nakaya, fog is far more than a spectacular visual effect: it makes air currents visible and encourages us to perceive both our surroundings and the space itself in an entirely new way.
Her fog sculpture transforms the Rotunda into a dreamlike, almost surreal landscape. Visitors disappear into the haze as though they themselves have become part of a painting by William Turner or Caspar David Friedrich.
About the exhibition
Claire-Obscure
Sigmar Polke’s “Axial Age” is a hallucinatory cycle in which light and colour become an almost tangible spiritual presence. The work consists of nine panels, for which Polke combined a remarkable range of materials, including gold and silver leaf, pigments derived from semi-precious stones, acrylic paint, toxic pigments, metal and resin. As these materials are highly sensitive to light, colour and humidity, the works continue to change in unpredictable ways over time.
In his video installations, Bill Viola allows figures to emerge from darkness, creating a contemporary homage to Old Masters such as Caravaggio. “Fire Woman”, on display in the museum’s lower level, is an extraordinarily powerful and deeply affecting work that is at once mesmerising and unsettling.
In Gallery 3, Victor Man presents a series of almost unreal, luminous paintings that evoke both Goya and Dalí. He is undoubtedly a contemporary exponent of chiaroscuro, using light and shadow to create enigmatic and psychologically charged images.
Wolfgang Tillmans’ photographs explore the interplay of light, shadow and perspective. Many of his works appear abstract at first glance, yet reveal ever more details the longer one looks. This makes them a perfect fit for Clair-Obscur, an exhibition that examines perception and the subtle relationship between light and darkness.
summery
Clair-Obscur continually explores the question of what we see – and what remains hidden. Many of the works play with light and shadow, reality and illusion, inviting visitors to question their own perception. The exhibition is not only concerned with what is visible, but also with what lies beneath the surface.
For me, however, the visit would have been worthwhile for one experience alone: disappearing into Fujiko Nakaya’s cloud of mist. Added to that are Victor Man’s fascinating, almost magically luminous paintings, which are not to be missed. And as the perfect finale, the museum restaurant was serving a cloud-inspired dessert created especially for the exhibition. (Thank you Celine 😉 )
Anne
Text and image rights: © Céline Mülich, 2026
With support from Anna Okolowitz.
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Aura Immersive: Les Invalides
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Alexander Calder: FLV
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