Polish Historical and Literary Society - The essence of societySociety can be defined as a particular state to which certain beings adhere when they live in groups, more or less numerous and organised. ‘Society is the union of men, not of men’, according to Montesquieu, who defined in this way the essence of a community of minds of certain beings. The SHLP was not founded simply as a form of institution for a specific purpose, but as a kind of congregation founded to carry out a common action that was much more complex than simple political or cultural action. This action consisted of realising the Polish spirit in France through the power of thought and word. From this perspective, the SHLP was an essential society...The Polish Historical and Literary Society (SHLP) is a unique institution, continuing its activities since 1854 (170 years!) at the same location, 6, quai d'Orléans. The SHLP is a major centre for intellectual exchange and, until 2025, was the administrator of the Bibliothèque Polonaise de Paris (BPP), founded in 1838.To arouse the curiosity of the general public, the 2025 exhibition presents an overview of the activities of this 19th-century institution and its incomparable collections. It also features remarkable personalities: statesmen, national heroes, writers, poets, artists, inventors, explorers and scientists.Agefrom 0 to 99 y.o.AccessibilityHearing ImpairmentVisual ImpairmentPyschological ImpairmentMobility Impairment

The World as a Labyrinth. Moreau. Biegas. García Contreras 11.09 – 31.10.25Exhibition Curators: Anna Czarnocka and Agnieszka Wiatrzyk This new exhibition featuring works by Gustave Moreau (1826–1898), Boleslas Biegas (1877–1954), and Alejandro García Contreras (1982–) presents a reimagined history of Symbolism, united by a shared sense of time and place. Between the first and the last work, the distinction between modern and contemporary art—and all its ambiguities—begins to dissolve. The topography expands: for Moreau, the enfant terrible of the fin de siècle, life narrows and culminates in Paris; Biegas, the son of a Masovian peasant, is deeply immersed in Slavic folklore and beliefs—his artistry takes shape as he travels across Europe from East to West. As for García Contreras, a contemporary artist, he discovers a passion for metaphysics in the Chiapas region, ancestral land of the Maya, deep within the Mexican jungle.None of these three narratives would be complete without a bestiary of imaginary beings, the infinite, mirrors, detours, parallel realities, identity, the intangible... so that each visitor may find their own inner labyrinth.The World as a Labyrinth brings together forty-four works—including paintings, drawings, and sculptures made of porcelain, plaster, clay, and wax. The exhibition also offers a chance to rediscover or encounter pieces that, for the most part, have never before been shown to the public. Artist BiographyThe work of Alejandro García Contreras is marked by a rich visual language that blends traditional Chiapas craftsmanship with colonial art, folklore, mythology, and his personal history. Through a multidisciplinary approach, he uses materials such as ceramics, painting, and graphic design to explore themes such as the divine, evil, magic, and eroticism. The discovery of Biegas’ art in his grandfather’s bookshop became a major source of inspiration for the artist.AccessibilityHearing ImpairmentVisual ImpairmentPyschological ImpairmentMobility Impairment

The Adam Mickiewicz Museum presents the life and work of Adam Mickiewicz (1798-1855), the greatest Polish romantic poet. It was created by his son Władysław in 1903. Mickiewicz is to the Poles what Goethe is to the Germans: symbol of national identity and cultural unity. A political emigrant, a pilgrim of freedom, he spent much of his life in Paris, where he made illustrious friendships and professed brilliantly at the Collège de France. For today’s Europeans, Mickiewicz is among the first visionaries of united Europe. The Chopin Salon is the only place in France dedicated to the greatest Polish composer, Frédéric Chopin (1810 – 1849). Exiled to Paris in 1831, Chopin lived there until his death. He will be the legendary pianist of the Salon Pleyel, the composer of the famous Polish, mazurkas, ballads and waltzes, and also the most admired pedagogue of Paris, European capital of romanticism. The Boleslas Biegas Museum, inaugurated by the SHLP with the support of MM. Guido Biazzi and Claude Kechichian present a selection of collections from the bequest of Polish sculptor, painter and playwright Boleslas Biegas (1877 – 1954), linked to the Vienna Secession movement, who since 1901 had lived in Paris surrounded by friends of the symbolist circle of «La Plume». In this museum are presented the works of Biegas, whose sculptures were more popular than those of Rodin, also those of other Polish artists of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Polish Library of ParisAgefrom 0 to 99 y.o.AccessibilityHearing ImpairmentVisual ImpairmentPyschological ImpairmentMobility Impairment