The MuM'Orsay, a new museum truck from Art Explora and the Musée d'Orsay

On October 6, the “ Art Explora Foundation ” and the Musée d’Orsay will inaugurate the MuM’Orsay, the Foundation’s fourth traveling cultural truck, developed in partnership with the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region.  

Following in the footsteps of MuMo x Centre Pompidou, MuMo Collections, and CinéMo, MuM’Orsay joins the fleet of mobile museums founded by Ingrid Brochard. At each stop, it offers free exhibitions, guided tours, and hands-on art workshops, bringing cultural experiences directly to local residents.

For its inaugural tour, the MuM’Orsay will travel throughout the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, in collaboration with local governments, cultural organizations, and local associations.

"Le Grand Bal" Exhibition in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes

October 12, 2026, through January 2, 2027

An exhibition conceived by Édouard Papet, Chief Curator of Sculpture, and Estelle Bégué, Outreach Project Manager.  

For its inaugural tour, MuM’Orsay is celebrating the Musée d’Orsay’s 40th anniversary with *Le Grand Bal*, an exhibition dedicated to 19th-century celebrations, dances, and balls.

In the countryside, festive traditions continue to be observed in step with the changing seasons. In cities, transformed by changes in work, transportation, and lifestyles, new forms of recreation and social interaction are emerging. Dances and carnivals, village festivals, religious celebrations, evenings at the opera, and official receptions set the pace of social life.

Beyond these festivities, the exhibition explores what the celebrations reveal about an era in the midst of profound change. It highlights social distinctions—from the opulence of salons to popular open-air dance halls—as well as the political, urban, and technological developments that were transforming society. Electric lighting, the early days of photography, and the rise of cinema were revolutionizing the ways in which movement, crowds, and the energy of dance were depicted.

Paintings, sculptures, drawings, photographs, and films come together to create an immersive journey centered on a universal impulse: that of coming together, dancing, and celebrating.

Featuring works by Jacques Becker, Jean Béraud, Giovanni Boldini, François-Rupert Carabin, Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux, Alexandre Charpentier, Eugène Carrière, Camille Corot, Charles Cottet, Henri Dabadie, Edgar Degas, Georges Garen, Paul Géniaux, Henri Gervex, Henry Lemoine, the Lumière brothers, Georges Méliès, Adolphe Meyer, Alphonse Osbert, Charles Pillet, and Jean Renoir.

Check out the MuM’Orsay itinerary in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes coming soon!