The Metropolitan Museum of Art will present "Creatures of Myth and Imagination: Europe and the Americas" at the Met Cloisters from May 18 to October 18, 2026. The exhibition explores hybrid mythical beings in visual arts from 500 to 1500 CE, featuring over 50 objects including paintings, sculpture, ceramics, ivories, textiles, and metalwork drawn mainly from the Met collection. It marks the first time ancient American art will be shown at the Met Cloisters, with key loans from the Museo del Templo Mayor in Mexico City, including a never-before-seen-in-New-York sculpture of the Zapotec "bat lord."
This exhibition matters because it brings together parallel but independent artistic traditions from Europe and the Americas, illuminating shared human fascinations with fantastical hybrid creatures across time and space. By juxtaposing objects rarely seen together, it opens new dialogues between cultures and highlights how imaginary beings function in storytelling, myth-making, and daily life. The show also demonstrates the Met's commitment to cross-cultural curatorial collaboration between its Cloisters and Rockefeller Wing locations.