Failure, miss, flop, fiasco, disaster… the word “flop” has many synonyms.

That’s a good thing, because failure is so common that we need a variety of terms to avoid repetition.  

It’s estimated that nine out of ten innovations fail, and the reasons for the setback aren’t always obvious!

So, why doesn’t an invention catch on? What forms can failure take? What lessons can we learn from it?

 

Drawing on several case studies, the exhibition Flops?! at the Arts et Métiers Museum in Paris explores the causes of failure across various technical sectors (transportation, telecommunications, mechanics…) and sometimes less technical ones (games and toys, graphic design, psychological biases…).

It interviews engineers, designers, salespeople, advertisers, and users to dissect the mechanisms of failure and better understand what went wrong!

 

And because some flops ultimately turn out to be hits, the exhibition explores unexpected paths to success: that of a good idea that was too far ahead of its time, of a technology that was still immature, or of an object that was repurposed…

 

In short, far from mocking failures, Flops?! offers a sympathetic perspective and highlights the necessity of daring to try and failing, in order to ultimately innovate.

 

 

Dates and opening hours:

October 14, 2025, to May 17, 2026

Open daily from 10:30 AM to 7:00 PM
Late-night hours on Mondays until 10:00 PM

 

Prices:

Single-entry ticket (permanent and temporary)

Full price: €12

Reduced rate: €9 

Free admission under certain conditions

Free admission for all: the first Sunday of every month and Fridays from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM

 

How to get to the Musée des Arts et Métiers at the Hotel Jardin Le Bréa?

Musée des Arts et Métiers - 60 Rue Réaumur, 75003 Paris

From the Hotel Jardin Le Brea, take Metro Line 4 at Vavin (2-minute walk), heading toward Porte de Clignancourt, get off at the Réaumur-Sébastopol station; the Musée des Arts et Métiers is then a 5-minute walk away,

or take bus line 38 at Port Royal (10-minute walk), heading toward Porte de la Chapelle - St-Denis, and get off at Réaumur-Sébastopol. The Musée du Luxembourg is then a 5-minute walk away.

The total travel time from our hotel via these routes is approximately 30 minutes.

 

 

Practical Information

https://www.arts-et-metiers.net/

 

 

Musée des Arts et Métiers, Paris
© Musée des Arts et Métiers 2026