Marguerite de PontyUPTOWN—New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art presents the most extensive U.S. exhibition ever dedicated to Raphael, as first reported by Artnet, offering a broad, international showcase of his artistry. This landmark retrospective brings together over 200 works—including rarely loaned masterpieces—from across the globe.
The exhibition, titled Raphael: Sublime Poetry, is the first comprehensive U.S. exhibition to explore the entirety of Raphael’s career, according to a press statement. Works are arranged chronologically, tracing his journey from his early beginnings in Urbino through his significant Florentine period to his final years at the papal court in Rome.
Carmen C. Bambach, a specialist in Renaissance drawings and curator at The Met’s Department of Drawings and Prints, curated the exhibition after a seven-year planning effort. Bambach sees this as both an opportunity to deepen engagement with Raphael’s imagery and a platform to present his creative personality with new clarity.
The show features a rich array of Raphael’s works—from preparatory sketches to full-scale paintings, tapestries, and decorative pieces. Among these are: The Alba Madonna (ca. 1509–11) from the National Gallery of Art, paired with preparatory drawings from Lille, Portrait of Baldassare Castiglione (1514–16) from the Louvre, The Ecstasy of Saint Cecilia, andLady with a Unicorn.
Running from 29 March to 28 June 2026, at The Met’s Fifth Avenue location (Gallery 899), Raphael: Sublime Poetry presents a small journey following the artist’s trajectory—from apprenticeship to the height of Renaissance genius, through works seldom displayed together.
Madina Tulakova
Richard Aubern
Bob Loblaw
Cici Thompson
John Hudson White