Photo : Lionel Sabatté, ADAGP, Paris, 2026 / © Grégory Copitet
What Remains. Lionel Sabatté
Lionel Sabatté takes over the entire Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature with a monographic exhibition bringing together paintings, drawings, sculptures, and tapestries, including a majority of previously unseen works.
Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature (Paris 3rd)
About
A material that carries the memory of life
Dust, rust, wool, nails, dead skin, cement: Lionel Sabatté works with materials located on the margins of living matter and waste. Under his hands, these residues become the site of a permanent transformation, blurring the boundaries between the animal, plant, and human realms. At the heart of his work, oxidation—the reaction between iron and oxygen—gives rise to compositions where rust and pigments become the visible traces of matter in perpetual change.
Rewilding the gaze
Stags, wolves, wild boars, bears, dogs, birds: the museum's most emblematic figures traverse the exhibition, but never in their expected form. The dog becomes a wolf again, the sheep metamorphose into wild creatures, the birds become landscapes. Between construction and ruin, power and fragility, these figures question loss and alteration as necessities of life rather than as threats.
A journey throughout the museum
The exhibition opens in the courtyard with Fertile Death, a monumental bronze sculpture representing a stag whose antlers sink into the ground, depicting a loss that becomes a promise of rebirth. The route then unfolds through the temporary exhibition hall and then into the permanent collection rooms.
Our take on this event
Prepare to see the animal kingdom through a radical new lens where dust, rust, and organic residues become the building blocks of hauntingly beautiful sculptures. Wandering through these galleries means confronting the fragile border between life and decay as iconic creatures are reimagined in surprising, raw, and transformative ways.
From October 15, 2026, to February 21, 2027, the Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature presents Ce qui reste, an exhibition by Lionel Sabatté. The artist uses unconventional materials such as dust, rust, wool, and nail clippings to create striking animal sculptures that challenge the boundaries between life and decay. This immersive experience spreads across the museum's courtyard, temporary gallery, and permanent collection rooms. Admission to the exhibition is ticketed, with prices ranging from 11 to 13 euros. It is an ideal opportunity to witness how the artist reinterprets iconic creatures through themes of metamorphosis and transformation.
Lionel Sabatté explores the cycle of life at the Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature in his exhibition titled Ce qui reste, running from October 15, 2026, to February 21, 2027. By repurposing organic waste and minerals like rust and cement, the artist crafts wild figures such as wolves, boars, and birds that appear in unexpected forms. His work highlights the beauty of decay, turning residues into symbols of renewal and structural change.
The installation spans multiple areas of the museum, beginning in the courtyard with the bronze sculpture Mort fertile. Visitors can then explore the temporary exhibition space and the permanent galleries to follow the artist's thematic journey. The museum is open on Wednesdays from 11:00 to 21:30, and from Tuesdays to Sundays between 11:00 and 18:00. Tickets are required for entry and are priced between 11 and 13 euros, offering full access to the venue's displays in the 3rd arrondissement.
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