Renoir Drawings
- Musée d'Orsay, Paris
17 Mar - 5 Jul 2026
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The exhibition Youssef Nabil: To Dream Again marks a historic milestone as the artist becomes the first contemporary figure to inhabit the Musée d’Orsay's Orientalist galleries. This showcase is designed as a profound, transhistorical dialogue that bridges Nabil’s modern sensibilities with the nineteenth-century masterpieces that have fueled his inspiration for over thirty years. By placing his signature hand-colored silver gelatin prints in direct conversation with the museum's permanent collection, the curation explores an aesthetic axis that oscillates between Orientalism and Symbolism. The journey begins with nineteenth-century expedition photography of Egypt, establishing a critical distinction between the colonial-era "Western invention" of the Orient and Nabil’s own reclaimed, poetic vision of his homeland.
At the heart of the exhibition is Nabil’s unique technical process, which revives an ancient hand-coloring technique once prevalent in the film posters of his youth in Cairo. This method transforms his photographs into velvety, unique objects that evoke a "glorious and idealized Egypt." A centerpiece of this dialogue is the self-portrait The Dream (2021), which serves as a direct contemporary descendant of Pierre Puvis de Chavannes’ Le Rêve. Other key tutelary figures, such as Odilon Redon, resonate through the galleries, particularly in the way Nabil’s minimalist compositions of blues and whites echo Symbolist explorations of solitude and spiritual yearning. This juxtaposition allows for a "consensual Orientalism," where the artist utilizes historical codes—languid bodies and saturated horizons—to construct a sensual world free from past prohibitions.
The emotional weight of the exhibition rests on the recurring themes of exile, nostalgia, and the act of remembering. Nabil’s signature self-portraits with backs turned away from the camera evoke a profound sense of melancholy and mystery, representing the "permanent in-betweenness" of an artist living between cultures. This narrative of transition and identity culminates in a space dedicated to the moving image, featuring acclaimed films such as I Saved My Belly Dancer and The Beautiful Voyage. In these works, the kinetic energy of the past is preserved, countering the symbolic disappearance of cultural icons and reimagining the Mediterranean world as a borderless realm. Ultimately, the exhibition invites visitors into an intimate, dreamlike space where the past is not a prison of nostalgia, but a luminous fiction for the contemporary experience.
Highlights
- Witness the historic takeover of the Musée d’Orsay's Orientalist galleries, marking the first time a contemporary photographer's work is showcased in these historic spaces.
- Admire the artist's signature hand-colored silver gelatin prints, which utilize an ancient technique to create a dreamlike, velvety aesthetic.
- Explore the transhistorical dialogue between Nabil's modern self-portraits and nineteenth-century masterpieces by artists like Pierre Puvis de Chavanne and Odilon Redon.
- Discover a rare collection of nineteenth-century expedition photographs from Egypt, providing a historical counterpoint to Nabil’s contemporary vision.
- Experience an immersive room dedicated to the artist's cinematic passion, featuring screenings of the evocative films I Saved My Belly Dancer and You Never Left.
- View the symbolic series of hand-painted self-portraits, where the artist often appears from behind to represent themes of exile, memory, and universal identity.
Frequently Asked Questions about Youssef Nabil: Still Dreaming
Yes, access to this temporary exhibition is included with your standard museum admission ticket, allowing you to explore both the permanent collections and special displays.
Most visitors spend approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour exploring the exhibition to fully appreciate the cinematic narrative and hand-colored photography.
Photography for personal use is generally allowed without flash, provided you do not use tripods or professional equipment that may disturb other guests.
The 'Still Dreaming' exhibition is uniquely integrated into the museum's Orientalist galleries, creating a dialogue between contemporary photography and 19th-century masterpieces.
Yes, the Musée d'Orsay is fully accessible, and elevators are available to reach the galleries where the Youssef Nabil exhibition is hosted.
Nabil uses a traditional hand-coloring technique on silver gelatin prints, evoking the golden age of Egyptian cinema and creating a dreamlike, nostalgic aesthetic.
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