[title]
He's one of the art history's greatest figures, but until now, Italian Renaissance genius Raphael has not been the subject of a comprehensive, international loan exhibition in the United States. The Metropolitan Museum of Art will soon change that when it opens an exhibition titled Raphael: Sublime Poetry, on view March 29 to June 28, 2026.
The sprawling show will focus on Raphael (Raffaello di Giovanni Santi, 1483–1520), who is considered one of the greatest artists of all time. The exhibition will offer a chance to dig into the full breadth of his life and career, from his origins in Urbino to his prolific years in Florence, where he began to emerge as a peer to Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo. It ends with a look at his final decade at the papal court in Rome.
RECOMMENDED: A major Rauschenberg exhibit is coming to the Guggenheim Museum this fall
Expect to see more than 200 of Raphael's most important drawings, paintings, tapestries and decorative arts—both his renowned masterpieces as well as rarely seen treasures. The juxtaposition is set "to reveal an extraordinarily creative mind," per Met officials.
Highlights of the show
Highlights include The Virgin and Child with Infant Saint John the Baptist in a Landscape (The Alba Madonna) from the National Gallery of Art, one of the most emblematic examples of Raphael’s mastery over High Renaissance ideals of harmony and classical beauty. This piece will be united with his preparatory drawings from the Museum of Fine Arts, Lille, and Portrait of Baldassarre Castiglione, now in the Louvre, widely regarded as one of the greatest portraits of the High Renaissance.
Pieces for the show are being lent from institutions across the globe, from Berlin to Budapest and beyond. Museum curators worked for more than seven years to make this exhibition possible.
Raphael: Sublime Poetry will reveal the artist as an exquisite storyteller and will pay particular attention to his portrayal of women—from his pioneering use of nude female models to his sensitive portrayals of the Madonna and Child.
"This unprecedented exhibition will offer a groundbreaking look at the brilliance and legacy of Raphael, a true titan of the Italian Renaissance," Max Hollein, The Met's CEO said in a press release. "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."
About Raphael
In his 37 years, Raphael achieved such profound success as a painter, designer and architect that he was regarded as the pinnacle of artistic perfection for centuries after his death, per The Met. He grew up with a painter and a poet as parents, engaging with writers and thinkers in Rome and developing a poetic sensibility. He brought that lyricism to his work, creating pieces with both intellectual edge and emotional depth—a necessary skill in the complex political landscape of Renaissance courts.
You'll get to watch his career unfold chronologically in the exhibition. In addition to seeing pieces from hundreds of years ago, the exhibit also includes recent scientific discoveries.