The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York will present the largest-ever Raphael exhibition in the Americas next spring, titled "Raphael: Sublime Poetry" (29 March–28 June 2026). Curated by Carmen Bambach, the show brings together over 200 works—including paintings, drawings, decorative objects, and tapestries—spanning Raphael’s career from Urbino and Florence to Rome. Major loans include the Alba Madonna from the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.; the Portrait of Baldassare Castiglione from the Louvre; and works from the British Museum, Uffizi, Prado, and Vatican Museums. The exhibition is structured chronologically, with special focus on recent scientific analysis and Raphael’s depictions of women.
This exhibition matters because it marks the first major U.S. survey of Raphael in over 40 years—the last was the National Gallery of Art’s "Raphael and America" in 1983. By reuniting finished paintings with preparatory drawings from multiple international lenders, the show offers a rare, comprehensive view of Raphael’s creative process. It also continues the Met’s tradition of blockbuster Renaissance exhibitions, following its 2018 Michelangelo show. The event is expected to draw significant public and scholarly attention, reinforcing the Met’s role as a leading venue for Old Master scholarship.