The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City will present a groundbreaking exhibition dedicated to Renaissance master Raphael in 2026, marking the first comprehensive retrospective of the artist's work ever mounted in the United States. Titled "Raphael: Sublime Poetry," the exhibition will run from March 29 through June 28, 2026, exclusively at the Met without traveling to other venues.
This landmark exhibition represents the Met's latest blockbuster presentation of Italian Renaissance art, following the success of last fall's acclaimed "Siena: The Rise of Painting, 1300-1350," which explored the dawn of the Renaissance nearly two centuries before Raphael's time. The upcoming retrospective will be curated by Carmen Bambach, a curator in the museum's drawings and prints department who previously organized the Met's highly praised Michelangelo exhibition in 2017.
Met Director Max Hollein emphasized the significance of the exhibition in an official statement, saying, "This unprecedented exhibition will offer a groundbreaking look at the brilliance and legacy of Raphael, a true titan of the Italian Renaissance. Visitors will have an exceptionally rare opportunity to experience the breathtaking range of his creative genius through some of the artist's most iconic and seldom loaned works from around the globe—many never before shown together."
Raphael, who died tragically young at age 37 in 1520, is universally recognized alongside Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci as one of the foremost artists of the Italian High Renaissance. His artistic legacy is particularly distinguished by his masterful emphasis on balance and harmony within compositional structures. Art historians typically organize Raphael's career into three distinct periods based on his geographical locations: his birthplace of Urbino, Florence where he worked between 1504 and 1508, and Rome where he served as a court painter to the Papal States until his untimely death.
According to the museum's press release, the exhibition aims to "offer a fresh perspective on this defining figure of the Italian Renaissance—to reveal an extraordinarily creative mind." The comprehensive retrospective will explore the entirety of Raphael's brief but remarkably prolific career, bringing together approximately 200 works by the artist. The collection will include paintings, drawings, tapestries, and decorative arts pieces, providing visitors with a complete view of his artistic range and technical mastery.
The exhibition will be organized primarily in chronological order, featuring thematic sections that examine different types of imagery Raphael employed throughout his artistic development. Special attention will be given to his depictions of women, showcasing how his approach to female portraiture evolved over time. To complement the exhibition, the Met will publish a fully illustrated catalog that will serve as a comprehensive scholarly resource.
Some of the world's most prestigious museums have agreed to loan exceptional works for "Sublime Poetry," demonstrating the international significance of this exhibition. Participating institutions include the Galleria Borghese and Gallerie Nazionali Barberini Corsini in Rome, the British Museum and National Gallery in London, the Vatican Museums, the Prado Museum in Madrid, the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, the Städel Museum in Frankfurt, the Albertina in Vienna, the Pinacoteca Nazionale in Bologna, and the Galleria Nazionale dell'Umbria in Perugia.
Among the most important secured loans are several masterpieces that rarely travel. The exhibition will feature the "Portrait of Baldassarre Castiglione" (1514-16) from the Louvre, the "Portrait of a Lady with a Unicorn" (1505-06) from the Galleria Borghese in Rome, and "The Virgin and Child with Infant Saint John the Baptist in a Landscape" (also known as "The Alba Madonna"), created around 1509-11 and housed at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. Additionally, preparatory drawings for "The Alba Madonna" will be displayed alongside the finished painting, offering visitors insight into Raphael's creative process.
Curator Carmen Bambach reflected on the extensive preparation required for this ambitious project, stating, "The seven-year journey of putting together this exhibition has been an extraordinary chance to reframe my understanding of this monumental artist. It is a thrilling opportunity to engage with his unique artistic personality through the visual power, intellectual depth, and tenderness of his imagery." This exhibition promises to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for American audiences to experience the full scope of Raphael's artistic genius in a comprehensive and scholarly presentation.
