Matthew Barney - Exposition générale in Paris enters its final days
Published on 08/24/2026 at 15:12 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS
Matthew Barney remains present in the closing week of the group exhibition Exposition générale at Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain in Paris. As Gladstone Gallery notes in a recent news update, the show runs from October 25, 2025 to August 23, 2026 and includes Barney’s work from the Fondation’s collection.
Exhibition at Fondation Cartier
The Fondation Cartier exhibition Exposition générale brings together nearly six hundred works by more than one hundred artists who have shaped the institution’s program since 1984, with Matthew Barney among the key figures listed in the lineup. Max Hetzler news overview
Gladstone Gallery’s exhibition news confirms Barney’s participation, highlighting that CREMASTER 4 from 1994 is among the works representing his contribution within the wider survey of the Fondation’s holdings. Gladstone Gallery news page
Matthew Barney in current shows
Beyond Paris, recent institutional and foundation programs show Matthew Barney in several 2026 group exhibitions, including Gen X: Tales from the Forgotten Generation at the DESTE Foundation in Athens and Tom’s Stretch at David Kordansky Gallery in Los Angeles, both running through mid-2026. Regen Projects exhibition biography
These shows sit alongside his presence in Don’t have hope, be hope! at Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo’s new venue on Isola di San Giacomo in Venice, where works by Barney are installed amid a curatorial focus on ecological reflection and the lagoon’s fragile environment, as detailed by Galerie Max Hetzler’s news brief.
All news and background on Matthew Barney
Further reporting, interviews and archive pieces on Matthew Barney’s exhibitions, commissions and film projects can be found in the AD HOC NEWS search, which aggregates the latest updates from the art desk.
The work core in current practice
Matthew Barney’s practice continues to orbit complex narrative structures that combine sculptural installation, performance and moving image, with materials ranging from cast metals and resins to organic matter and athletic equipment embedded in myth-laden choreography. HENI Aspen AIR festival report
Projects such as ZONE DEFENSE: Old Snowmass Parallax for Aspen Art Museum’s AIR 2026 festival extend the lineage of earlier works like TACTICAL parallax, translating the dynamics of American football into sculptural configurations that foreground impact, endurance and ritualized movement.
Where the artist stands now
Matthew Barney is presently positioned between major institutional surveys like Exposition générale in Paris and ongoing festival and foundation collaborations, with no newly announced opening date within the immediate 30-day window.
Key facts on Matthew Barney
- Artist: Matthew Barney
- Medium / Genre: Sculpture, installation, performance and film
- Born: 1967, San Francisco, United States
- Place(s) of practice: Studio-based practice primarily in the United States, with frequent international institutional collaborations
- Active since: Early 1990s, with the Cremaster Cycle consolidating his position over the decade
- Key work groups: Cremaster Cycle, Drawing Restraint, SECONDARY, site-related performance works such as TACTICAL parallax
- Current/last exhibition: Exposition générale, Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain, Paris, October 25, 2025 – August 23, 2026
- Major collections: Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain (Paris), Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (New York), Museum of Modern Art (New York), San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Hamburger Bahnhof – Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart (Berlin)
- Awards: Honorary member, American Academy of Arts and Letters (Department of Arts), elected in 2024
- Next date: currently no announced date in the 30-day window
Frequently asked questions about Matthew Barney
Where is Matthew Barney’s work on view in Europe right now?
In Europe, Matthew Barney is highlighted in the group exhibition Exposition générale at Fondation Cartier in Paris, which presents nearly six hundred works from the institution’s collection and runs through August 23, 2026.
Which recent projects extend Matthew Barney’s interest in sport and endurance?
Recent projects include the Aspen AIR 2026 commission ZONE DEFENSE: Old Snowmass Parallax, which builds on the 2025 performance TACTICAL parallax and continues his investigation into American football, impact and ritualized movement.
Has Matthew Barney received recent institutional recognition?
Yes, Matthew Barney was elected as an Honorary member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 2024, joining the Department of Arts and underlining his long-term influence on contemporary sculpture and moving-image practice.
This article was produced with a.i. support and editorially reviewed. All statements without guarantee; auction results, exhibition dates and awards may change at short notice.
