“The Feeling of Nature. Contemporary Art in the Mirror of Poussin” – Villa Paloma

From 13 February to 25 May 2026, the Nouveau Musée National de Monaco – Villa Paloma hosts the exhibition “Le Sentiment de la Nature. Contemporary Art in the Mirror of Poussin”, a major exhibition project dedicated to Nature, understood as both a sensory and historical experience.

Installed throughout the spaces of Villa Paloma (56 boulevard du Jardin Exotique), the exhibition brings into dialogue contemporary works by nearly forty artists with classical painting, placing the work of Nicolas Poussin at its core.

Curated by Guillaume de Sardes, the exhibition is based on a key intuition: Poussin was the first painter to conceive Nature not merely as a backdrop, but as an autonomous artistic subject. Over the course of his career, he developed a true “feeling of nature”, which went on to profoundly influence the history of art, from Gaspard Dughet to Claude-Joseph Vernet.

At a time marked by widespread ecological anxiety, the exhibition asks a central question: are there still artists capable of portraying nature with poetry? By confronting historical and contemporary works—including sculptures, installations, photographs, videos, drawings, and paintings—the exhibition shows that the answer is yes.

The exhibition unfolds across six thematic sections—storms and nights; forests and gardens; seascapes and waterfalls; deserts and volcanoes; hills and mountains; flowers and butterflies—guiding visitors through the ways in which nature, in all its extraordinary diversity, continues to inspire artists today.