Inaugurated at the Centre Pompidou-Metz in 2023, then showcased in Nantes and Barcelona, the Suzanne Valadon retrospective is now on display at the Centre Pompidou in Paris until May 26. This is the last exhibition on this floor before the Centre Pompidou closes for renovations scheduled to last five years. Such a choice was hardly expected from an institution which, from its opening in 1977 to the Elles exhibition in 2009, has rarely championed women artists. Even less so, given that Valadon (1865-1938) was a figurative artist who worked from the end of the 19^th century to the interwar period, while the Centre Pompidou's programming has largely focused on the second half of the 20^th century and contemporary art.

After seeing Valadon's work in Metz, it is now possible to rediscover it in a larger space, with a different architectural layout and additional loans. A very small space is devoted to other contemporary women painters: Georgette Agutte (1867-1922), Marie Laurencin (1883-1956) and Juliette Roche (1884-1980). However, they are represented by only one painting in most cases, making this symbolic inclusion somewhat superficial, revealing the museum's late commitment to gender issues.

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