The Mucem in Marseille is organizing a major summer 2026 exhibition titled "Bonnes Mères" that deconstructs the idealized myth of happy motherhood. Curated by art historian Caroline Chenu and feminist activist Anne-Cécile Mailfert, the show brings together 350 works from antiquity to the present, including pieces by Louise Bourgeois, Sandro Botticelli, and contemporary photographers Pierre et Gilles. The exhibition challenges singular representations of motherhood, exploring themes from fertility goddesses and Marian imagery to menstruation, abortion rights, and assisted reproduction across the Mediterranean.
This exhibition matters because it tackles a deeply personal yet politically charged subject through an intersectional, feminist lens, using Marseille's own symbolic "Good Mother" (Notre-Dame de la Garde) as a starting point. By juxtaposing historical artifacts with contemporary art and addressing taboo topics like menstruation and reproductive rights, the show aims to dismantle long-held cultural stereotypes and give voice to the diverse realities of mothers. It also highlights the ongoing legal disparities in the Mediterranean region regarding abortion and assisted reproduction, making it both a cultural and social intervention.