Enfilade

On view this fall at Versailles:

20th Anniversary | Marie Antoinette by Sofia Coppola

Exhibition on the Making of the Film

Petit Trianon, Château de Versailles, 22 September 2026 — 24 January 2027

Curated by Laurent Salomé and Hélène Delalex

The Palace of Versailles celebrates the twentieth anniversary of Sofia Coppola’s film Marie Antoinette with an exhibition at the Petit Trianon—designed in collaboration with the director—that explores the work’s genesis, aesthetic choices, and cultural impact.

Released in 2006 and filmed largely at the Palace of Versailles, Marie Antoinette boldly breaks away from the conventions of historical biography to explore—in an intimate manner—a fascinating figure long obscured by legend. Vilified during the French Revolution, sanctified under the Restoration, and later aestheticized from the Second Empire onwards, Marie Antoinette emerges under Sofia Coppola’s lens as a deeply human figure: a young woman grappling with isolation, boredom, and the constraints of court life. Now considered a cult film, Marie Antoinette played a pivotal role in shaping a cultural icon that blends history, modernity, and pop imagery. Winner of the 2007 Academy Award for Best Costume Design, Sofia Coppola’s distinctive aesthetic—balancing historical accuracy, contemporary boldness, and pastel refinement—gave rise to a genuine ‘Marie Antoinette style’, the influence of which is still felt in fashion, design, and photography today.

Presented at the Petit Trianon, the exhibition—conceived in collaboration with Sofia Coppola—invites visitors behind the scenes of the film’s creation, showcasing original costumes by Milena Canonero, props, storyboards, annotated scripts, on-set photographs, set elements, and recreated spaces. Screenings allow visitors to view sequences in the very rooms where they were filmed, offering a unique experience where the historic setting and the cinematic reinterpretation dialogue with one another.

“During the production of Marie Antoinette, Versailles was far more than just a filming location: it became an integral part of the film’s language and atmosphere—a true character in the story. Returning twenty years later to the creative process that gave birth to the film, as well as the extraordinary work of the craftspeople who contributed to it—all within this exceptional setting—is a surprisingly moving experience.”

Filmed at Versailles and inspired by one of its most iconic figures, Marie Antoinette holds a unique place in the Palace’s contemporary history. Twenty years after the film’s release, this exhibition explores its lasting impact on the image of Marie Antoinette and Versailles, while highlighting the Palace’s role as a source of inspiration for cinema and fashion.

Curators
• Laurent Salomé, Director of the National Museum of the Palace of Versailles and Trianon
• Hélène Delalex, Heritage Curator at the Musée National des Châteaux de Versailles et de Trianon