On the European Heritage Days in September 2015, HF Île-de-France, an association created in November 2009 to fight for sexual equality in the arts and culture, launched the Journées du Matrimoine with a series of visits to public spaces and the Petit Palais to discover the history of women.

On 17–18 September 2016, AWARE: Archives of Women Artists, Research and Exhibitions joined this initiative with the aim of taking it into several museum institutions in the Île-de-France.

Guided visits given by those in charge of the collections or art historians will be organised around the museums’ permanent collections with the purpose of presenting works of art by women to the public at large.

Seven institutions will participate in the event, including three museums in the City of Paris: the Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, the Musée Carnavalet, and the Petit Palais; two national museums: the Centre Pompidou, the Mnam-Cci and the Musée d’Orsay; one departmental museum: the MAC/VAL de Vitry-sur-Seine; and one art centre: the Jeu de Paume.