Annette Messager explores the animal at the Museum of Hunting and Nature

For the first time, artist Annette Messager is exhibiting at the Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature with an ambitious show entitled "One Swallow Does Not Make a Summer." On display until September 20, 2026, this exhibition brings together more than 80 works displayed in some fifteen rooms. The collection blends older pieces, major installations, and recent creations, engaging directly with the museum's existing holdings.

The animal as the central theme of the exhibition

The project is based on a simple idea: to use the animal figure to reinterpret the artist's entire body of work. While this presence has permeated his work since the 1970s, it had never before been addressed in such a central way. Here, animals become a means of discussing human behavior, whether it be desire, violence, or domination.

The exhibition is organized around several themes, such as capture, captivity, and domesticated savagery. It includes iconic works like Twelve Small Effigies (1990), as well as more recent installations, such as The Revenge of the Animals (2019-2021). The materials remain characteristic of the artist: plush toys, fabrics, repurposed objects, and photographs, which give his creations a familiar yet often unsettling appearance.

A direct dialogue with the museum's collections

One of the exhibition's distinctive features is its integration within the museum itself. The artworks are not displayed in isolation but rather interspersed among taxidermied animals, weapons, and historical artifacts. This choice creates a constant contrast between the artist's contemporary world and the more classical atmosphere of the space.

Some interventions are highly visible, such as fabric rifles placed among real weapons. Others are more subtle, requiring visitors to observe closely. This principle transforms the visit into a journey of discovery, where the artworks gradually appear as one moves through the rooms.

Already internationally recognized, with exhibitions in institutions such as the Centre Pompidou or the Museum of Modern Art, Annette Messager offers here an exhibition accessible in its form but structured around a clear axis: to show how the animal allows us to better understand the human.