The BnF is staging the first exhibition on the theme of the apocalypse. The word apocalypse is somewhat obscure, frightening even, conjuring images of the end of the world. It is a word that has echoed throughout Western societies and culture for two thousand years in reference to any large-scale catastrophic event, and is often associated with today’s climate concerns. But apocalypse actually means revelation, or unveiling. In the Bible, the Book of Revelation, also known as the Book of the Apocalypse, talks of a veil lifting on the timeless kingdom where believers will be reunited in celestial Jerusalem. It is a word infused with hope, meant to overcome our deepest fears.

From the Middle Ages to the present day, the exhibition traces the imagination surrounding this concept through over 300 works by artists such as William Blake, Odilon Redon, Vassily Kandinsky, Ludwig Meidner, Natalia Goncharova, Otto Dix, Antonin Artaud, Unica Zürn, Kiki Smith, Tacita Dean, Miriam Cahn and Anne Imhof.

From 4 February to 8 June 2025: https://c.bnf.fr/WBZ

Image: Anne Imhof, Untitled, Oil on printed canvas – 2022, Paris, Pinault Collection. Photo: Timo Ohler. Courtesy of the artist, Spruethmagers and Galerie Buchholz