MAC VAL
Vitry-sur-Seine
Tuesday to Sunday: 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Place de la Libération
94400 Vitry-sur-Seine
As part of the Constellation programme, which runs throughout Centre Pompidou’s renovation period, MAC VAL will host five years of tailor-made exhibitions, developed in close partnership between the two institutions. These exhibitions will focus on the contemporary French art scene—a natural extension of each collection’s identity.
© Adagp, Paris 2025 Photo : Jacques Faujour
Le genre idéal
En principe, une tentative d’épuisement
(The ideal genre. In principle, an attempt at exhausting)
21 March 2025 – January 2028
Designed to mark the twentieth anniversary of the museum dedicated to contemporary art in France since the 1950s, the new display of the MAC VAL collection offers a humorous reinterpretation of the major genres of art history: still life, landscape, portraiture, genre scenes and history painting. Bringing together works from the 1950s to 2025, it challenges the hierarchy of genres established since the 17th century, in which the subject takes precedence over technical mastery or execution.
The MAC VAL – Museum of Contemporary Art of Val-de-Marne is the only museum entirely dedicated to the French art scene since the 1950s.
The museum’s project has been evolving for over fifteen years, following the creation of the Departmental Contemporary Art Fund in 1982. In 1998, the collection received official recognition from the Artistic Council for Museums, and its scientific and cultural project was approved by the French Museum Service.
This initiative was born from the conviction of the Val-de-Marne Department that supporting artistic creation, with a strong focus on public engagement, contributes to the region’s cultural influence. The collection comprises 2,500 works by nearly 400 artists. It includes pieces by major figures in the contemporary art world as well as works by emerging artists, reflecting MAC VAL’s commitment to staying close to today’s artistic creation.
In dialogue with the collection displays, two temporary exhibitions are presented each year. Whether monographic or collective, they are conceived as invitations—emerging from the encounter between artist and museum. Designed as extensions of the collection, these exhibitions offer deeper explorations of contemporary art.
The MAC VAL team uses creativity and sensitivity to develop innovative programs that make contemporary art— from its post-war emergence to the most current expressions—accessible to all.
In 2025, MAC VAL turns 20!
