«The Splendour of the Enlightenment» exhibition at the Château de Fontainebleau

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There are exhibitions that hinge on a single good question. This one poses an excellent one: why, on the eve of the Revolution, did the King of France feel the need to cloak himself in the memory of a monarch who had died two centuries earlier? «The Splendour of the Enlightenment» takes place at the château de Fontainebleau from 19 September 2026 to 25 January 2027.

Henry IV, a model king

The Good King Henry IV, «Father of the People», chicken in a pot, the white plume: the legend was already firmly established by the 18th century. Louis XVI made explicit reference to it at a time when the monarchy was seeking to reconcile itself with public opinion. The exhibition follows this political and artistic reappropriation a figure who, ahead of his time, became a tool of royal communication.

A thematic exhibition, and what that means

The format is streamlined: a thematic exhibition, organised as partnership with the National Museum of the Château de Pau, the house where Henry IV was born. This is not a grand retrospective, but rather a focused exhibition featuring a limited number of carefully selected works. It can be visited at A companion exhibition to the major exhibition «Marie-Antoinette and Louis XVI at Fontainebleau: Splendour and the Good Life», which opens on 11 October in the same château: the two complement each other, and the ideal day takes in both.

An anniversary that shapes the entire season

These exhibitions form part of the programme of 240 years since Marie-Antoinette and Louis XVI’s last stay at Fontainebleau, which will punctuate the château’s programme for 2026, from Christian Lacroix’s stage costumes to the Concerts de la Reine conducted by Thomas Hengelbrock in October.

Practice

The exhibition is on display in the Saint-Louis theatres, on the tour route, and remains accessible with a ticket to the castle. The castle is open every day except Tuesdays, from 9.30 am to 6 pm from April to September and from 9.30 am to 5 pm from October to March. Information and tickets are available at the Fontainebleau Castle site.