Festival of Art History
The major event for art and heritage at the Château de Fontainebleau
2026
About Art History Festival
Art History Festival — edition 2026
The 15th edition of the Festival de l'Histoire de l'Art takes place from June 5 to 7, 2026 at the Château de Fontainebleau. Theme: **Fashion**. Guest country: **Morocco**, the first country from the African continent to be honored since the festival's creation in 2011. Over 300 free events: conferences, round tables, screenings, concerts, shows, exhibitions, guided tours, workshops, and an art book fair.
15th Edition — Fashion and Morocco
From **Friday, June 5 to Sunday, June 7, 2026**, the Festival de l'Histoire de l'Art (FHA) takes over the Château de Fontainebleau and the city for the 15th time for three intense days dedicated to culture, research, and creation.
The 2026 edition explores the theme of **Fashion** as a historical object at the crossroads of art, societies, and cultures — revealing identity constructions, cultural exchanges, and politico-economic dynamics across eras. **Morocco** is honored as the guest country, a first for a country from the African continent: an opportunity to explore a rich heritage shaped by African, Arab, Amazigh, and Jewish influences, from Antiquity to contemporary creation.
Over 300 Free Events in a Royal Setting
The festival offers over 300 free events in the historical rooms of the château, its gardens, and the city's cultural venues (Théâtre municipal, Quartier Henri IV, Cinéma l'Ermitage…): conferences led by leading specialists, round tables, film screenings, concerts, performances, shows, exhibitions, unique guided tours, workshops for children and families, and a large art book fair with about a hundred publishers.
Opening and Closing Conferences
The opening conference is given by Moroccan architect and anthropologist **Salima Naji**, winner of the 2025 International Women Architects Award, who will share twenty years of practice in restoration and community architecture. The closing conference features multidisciplinary artist **Amina Agueznay**, Morocco's representative at the Venice Biennale, on textile heritage as an «act of resistance and memory».
Cinema, Shows, Concerts, and Performances
On the cinema side, guest directors **Maryam Touzani** and **Nabil Ayouch** present Haut et fort (2021) and Le Bleu du caftan (2022). The musical and performance program fosters dialogue between France and Morocco with, among others: Näss by choreographer **Fouad Boussouf**, the gnawa group **Black Koyo**, the Moroccan urban circus **Colokolo**, the breakdance-photography performance by **Yoriyas**, Le Voyage de Delacroix by the Compagnie les Chemins du Monde, as well as concerts by the Conservatoire de Fontainebleau and the Conservatoire national supérieur de musique de Paris.
Tours, Workshops, and Professional Meetings
Over thirty exceptional tour routes are led by guide-lecturers, architects, curators, and students from the École du Louvre, notably opening areas of the château usually closed. Workshops for families introduce Moroccan-inspired embroidery, weaving, real tennis (jeu de paume), and circus arts. The festival is also a major professional and student event, with heritage professions forums, a Current Affairs Forum, and student mobility grants.
Organization
The festival is an event of the Ministry of Culture implemented by the Institut national d'histoire de l'art (INHA) and the Château de Fontainebleau. Scientific curator for the 2026 edition: **Hadrien Laroche** (INHA).
Highlights Art History Festival 2026
- 15th edition — Theme: **Fashion**
- Guest country: **Morocco** (1st African country since the festival's creation in 2011)
- Over 300 free events over 3 days at the Château de Fontainebleau
- Opening conference by architect Salima Naji, closing conference by artist Amina Agueznay
- Cinema: Maryam Touzani and Nabil Ayouch as guests (Haut et fort, Le Bleu du caftan)
- Shows and concerts: Fouad Boussouf (Näss), Black Koyo (gnawa), Colokolo (Moroccan circus), Yoriyas, Compagnie les Chemins du Monde
- Over 30 exceptional tour routes within the château
- Large art book and journal fair
Programme Art History Festival 2026
Program — Festival de l'Histoire de l'Art 2026
Over 300 events are scheduled from Friday, June 5 to Sunday, June 7, 2026, in the château, its gardens, and the city of Fontainebleau. The full program is available on the official website and in the 2026 brochure PDF. Selection of highlights below.
Friday, June 5, 2026
- 10:50 AM — Round table «Material cultures, immaterial cultures, the importance of places…» · Château de Fontainebleau, Salle des Colonnes
- 12:00 PM — Conference «New archaeological research on the origins of the Almohad Empire in medieval Morocco» by Jean-Pierre Van Staëvel, Abdallah Fili, Ahmed Saleh Ettahiri, and Sébastien Gaime · Théâtre Municipal de Fontainebleau
- 2:00 PM — Round table «The digital database 'Fashion in the museum, a French history'» · Chapelle de la Trinité
- 2:00 PM — Conference «Sumptuary laws and the dynamics of fashion in France in the 16th and 17th centuries» · Vestibule Serlio
- 2:00 PM — Round table «Conservation professions and the collections project» · Vestibule Saint-Louis
- 2:00 PM — Conference «How fashion became a museum object: the example of Lyon collections» · Quartier Henri IV
- 2:15 PM — Round table «Cultural mediation and digital tools» · Quartier Henri IV, Grande Salle
- Evening — Show Näss by choreographer Fouad Boussouf, a piece inspired by a Moroccan group from the 1970s
- Inaugural conference by **Salima Naji**, architect and anthropologist (twenty years of practice in restoration and community architecture)
- Opening concert by the Conservatoire municipal de Fontainebleau
Saturday, June 6, 2026
- Parade and concert by the gnawa group **Black Koyo**
- Concert Le Royaume du Maroc by Paul Wranitzky by the Conservatoire national supérieur de musique de Paris
- Moroccan urban circus show **Colokolo** with acrobatics
- Breakdance and street photography performance by **Yoriyas**
- Musical tale Le Voyage de Delacroix (50 min, for ages 10 and up) by Frédéric Calmès and Léo Fabre-Cartier · Compagnie les Chemins du Monde
- Screening-meeting Haut et fort (2021) in the presence of **Nabil Ayouch** and **Maryam Touzani** · Cinéma l'Ermitage
- Conferences on Bronze Age clothing (Hakima Benabderrahmane), pre-classical Greek footwear (Katerina Kakodimou), textile reconstruction (Muriel Barbier), colonial fashion, Mediterranean fashions of the Renaissance, the role of Lyon textile workshops in haute couture (Marion Falaise)…
- Art book and journal fair (highlighting Moroccan literature)
- Family workshops: Moroccan-inspired embroidery, weaving, real tennis (jeu de paume), circus arts
- Exceptional guided tours of the château (over 30 routes)
Sunday, June 7, 2026
- Conference on Igiliz, an Almohad site in the Anti-Atlas, and the consequences of the 2023 earthquake (Jean-Pierre Van Staëvel and his team)
- Continuation of the **Colokolo** show (Moroccan urban circus)
- Screening-meeting Le Bleu du caftan (2022) in the presence of Maryam Touzani and Nabil Ayouch
- Closing conference by **Amina Agueznay**, multidisciplinary artist representing Morocco at the Venice Biennale — «Textile heritage as an act of resistance and memory»
- Current Affairs Forum (major restoration projects, latest discoveries)
- Art book fair (continued)
- Tours, workshops, and performances throughout the day
Detailed schedules and full program of over 300 events on the official website: festivaldelhistoiredelart.fr/edition-2026/
Prices Art History Festival 2026
The only exception: screenings at Cinéma l'Ermitage are €5 per session.
Art History Festival — 2027 edition
The 2026 edition was held from 5 June to 7 June 2026. The dates for the 2027 edition have not been announced yet. This page will be updated as soon as the official programme is published.
Practical information — Art History Festival
Access
Location
Château de Fontainebleau, 77300 Fontainebleau, Seine-et-Marne, Île-de-France.
How to get there
- By train: Fontainebleau-Avon station (Transilien R from Paris Gare de Lyon, 40 minutes), then bus line 1 or a 15-minute walk to the château.
- By car: A6 exit Fontainebleau, follow signs for the Château. Free parking nearby.
Prices
Festival entirely free and open to all. No reservation required for most events.
Contact
- Website: festivaldelhistoiredelart.fr
- Facebook: FestivaldelHistoiredelArt
- Instagram: @fha_festival
A unique festival in Europe dedicated to art history
Created in 2011 by the Ministry of Culture, the Festival of Art History is the only festival in the world entirely devoted to art history in all its dimensions. Every year, on the first weekend of June, the Château de Fontainebleau — a royal and imperial residence and UNESCO World Heritage site — opens its doors wide to host an exceptional event that brings together researchers, students, artists, heritage professionals, and the general public in a spirit of sharing and democratizing knowledge. The event is implemented by the National Institute of Art History (INHA) in partnership with the Château de Fontainebleau, attracting over 35,000 visitors each edition.
A theme and a guest country for each edition
Each edition of the festival revolves around a theme that runs through the entire program — from detail to fashion, from dreams to travel — and a guest country whose artistic richness is honored. This dual focus allows for exploring art history from new angles, by cross-referencing perspectives and disciplines. The 15th edition in 2026 celebrates the theme of Fashion and welcomes Morocco as the guest country, the first country from the African continent and the Arab world to be honored, offering an unprecedented opening to Islamic arts, traditional architecture, and contemporary Moroccan creation.
Over 300 free events in a royal setting
The program of the Festival of Art History is exceptionally rich: over 300 events unfold in the historic halls of the château, its gardens, and the cultural venues of the town of Fontainebleau. Conferences led by leading specialists, round tables, film screenings, concerts, unique guided tours of the château and its collections, temporary exhibitions, an art book fair bringing together a hundred publishers, creative workshops for children: the program is designed to appeal to all audiences, from experts to novices, from adults to the youngest. All events are free and open to all, in a spirit of cultural democratization.
A springboard for students and professionals
The festival is also a place for professional networking and training, with forums dedicated to careers in art history, heritage, and conservation. Art history students from all over France are invited to participate actively, with special sessions, competitions, and opportunities to meet key players in the art world. The festival also organizes a Current Affairs Forum that presents the latest discoveries and major restoration projects underway. This professional dimension, combined with its openness to the general public, makes the Festival of Art History a unique event on the French and European cultural scene.
Where does it take place — Art History Festival
Art History Festival in brief
History of Art History Festival
Edition 2025 Jun 2025Other festivals near Fontainebleau
Festival-goer reviews
No review yet. Be the first!
No rating yet — be the first!
Were you there?
Share your experience with the community
Have you spotted an error or missing information?
Help us keep this listing up to date. Every suggestion is reviewed by our team before publication.
Festival-goer photos
No photo yet. Share yours!
5 photos max, 5 MB per photo (JPG, PNG, WebP)