Museum & Exhibition Guide — March 29, 2026

Now Open: Must-See Exhibitions

Raphael and the Renaissance of Divine Beauty — Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

• Dates: Through early summer 2026 (recently opened)
• What to Expect: The first-ever US retrospective devoted to Raphael presents the Renaissance master through a lens that looks beyond his idealized Madonnas and Christ Child, situating works in their "social and historical context" of motherhood and childhood mortality. The New York Times called the show a blockbuster that "humanizes a lapsed god of painting," while The Art Newspaper notes the curators aim to illuminate how Raphael's imagery interacted with the historical realities of his era.
• Artist(s): Raphael (Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino)

New Humans: Memories of the Future — New Museum, New York

• Dates: Now open (museum recently doubled its gallery space with a major expansion)
• What to Expect: The inaugural exhibition in the newly expanded New Museum is a sweeping survey that draws a symmetry between the cultural upheaval of the 1920s and contemporary life. Curator Massimiliano Gioni states the show aims to "establish a symmetry between today and the 1920s, as looking to the past can also reassure us." The New Museum, which now boasts twice its former square footage, has made this ambitious thematic show the centerpiece of its reopening.
• Artist(s): Group exhibition featuring works by artists from the 2024 Venice Biennale and beyond

1 sources

cdn.sanity.io

cdn.sanity.io

Melania Trump's Inaugural Gown 2025 — "The First Ladies" Exhibition — National Museum of American History (Smithsonian), Washington D.C.

• Dates: Ongoing; April 2026 calendar confirmed
• What to Expect: First Lady Melania Trump's strapless off-white silk crepe gown, trimmed with lace and worn at the 2025 inaugural ball, is now on display in the museum's long-running "The First Ladies" exhibition on the third floor. The acquisition continues the Smithsonian's tradition of preserving inaugural fashion as cultural history.
• Artist(s): N/A (historical artifact)

1 sources

americanhistory.si.edu

americanhistory.si.edu

Spring 2026 NYC Exhibitions — Multiple Venues, New York City

• Dates: Various (spring 2026 season)
• What to Expect: New York is experiencing an extraordinarily rich spring season with major openings across the city. Beyond the Met's Raphael and the New Museum expansion, highlights include a Marcel Duchamp survey at MoMA and a display of the Lombardi Trophy at the Museum of Natural History. The AM New York guide to 12 upcoming fairs and exhibitions confirms the breadth of activity across institutions and galleries this season.
• Artist(s): Marcel Duchamp (MoMA), plus others

1 sources

amny.com

amny.com

Opening Soon

Greater New York 2026 — MoMA PS1, Long Island City, New York

• Opening: April 16, 2026
• Description: MoMA PS1 has announced the 53 artists and collectives participating in the sixth edition of its flagship survey of artists living and working in the New York City metropolitan area. The announcement, made February 10, 2026, promises the most expansive iteration yet of this beloved survey of emerging and underexplored local talent.

2026 Guggenheim Exhibition Schedule — Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York

• Opening: Multiple openings throughout 2026 (recently unveiled full year schedule)
• Description: The Guggenheim has unveiled its full 2026 exhibition calendar, headlined by major solo Rotunda exhibitions by sculptors Carol Bove and Taryn Simon, alongside a presentation dedicated to Pop Art. The schedule positions the museum for one of its most ambitious programming years in recent memory.

Global Spotlight

The New Museum Expansion: Architecture, Ambition, and New Humans

When the New Museum threw open the doors of its expanded Lower Manhattan home this month, it did so with twice the gallery space and a programmatic statement as bold as its new architecture. The flagship show, New Humans: Memories of the Future, is both an inauguration and a manifesto. Curator Massimiliano Gioni has built an exhibition that deliberately rhymes the tumultuous 1920s — a decade of avant-garde explosion and social upheaval — with the present moment, suggesting that periods of profound disruption can also be generative and clarifying.

The curatorial vision is unusually optimistic for our anxious era. Gioni's thesis, that "looking to the past can also reassure us," is borne out in works that range from newly remastered historical films to newly commissioned pieces. The exhibition draws substantially from participants in the 2024 Venice Biennale, organized by Adriano Pedrosa — itself a landmark moment for Latin American and underrepresented global perspectives in the art world. By bringing those artists into this new institutional home, the New Museum signals that its expanded physical footprint also represents an expanded sense of whose voices and practices define contemporary art.

The doubling of gallery space is not merely a logistical achievement. The Art Newspaper reported earlier this month that the expansion fundamentally changes the museum's ambitions, enabling larger installations, more expansive group shows, and a scale of programming previously impossible. New Humans is the beneficiary and proof of that new capacity. For New York's art world, this month marks the arrival of a reinvented institution.

Art World News

Artnet releases "Most Anticipated Museum Openings of 2026" list — Published in early January but updated and circulating widely this week, Artnet's annual preview identifies the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi and the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles as the year's most anticipated new buildings, joining a wave of major institutional openings. The Lucas Museum, long under construction in Exposition Park, is set to reshape L.A.'s cultural geography, while the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi would mark the completion of years of planning for Saadiyat Island's cultural district.

MoMA PS1 announces 53 artists for Greater New York 2026 — In a February announcement still generating buzz ahead of the April 16 opening, MoMA PS1 has confirmed the participants in the sixth edition of its signature survey. The show is designed to capture the vitality of the New York City arts ecosystem, spotlighting artists who live and work in the metropolitan area. With 53 artists and collectives, the 2026 edition is described as the most expansive to date.

Art Basel Qatar to be led by artist Wael Shawky — In an unusual departure from the norm of market-specialist leadership, Art Basel Qatar has appointed artist Wael Shawky — who represented Egypt at the Venice Biennale — to spearhead presentations from approximately 50 galleries. The move signals a curatorial ambition for the fair that sets it apart from its sister events.

Reader Action Items

• Book now for the Raphael retrospective at the Met, New York — This is the first-ever US retrospective devoted to Raphael and demand is high. Secure timed tickets in advance to avoid disappointment during peak spring season.
• Visit the newly expanded New Museum before the crowds arrive — New Humans: Memories of the Future is drawing strong attention as the centerpiece of the institution's doubled gallery space reopening. Early visits will let you experience the new architecture at its freshest.
• Mark your calendar for MoMA PS1's Greater New York 2026 — Opening April 16 in Long Island City, this free-with-museum-admission survey of NYC-based artists is one of the season's most anticipated events for discovering emerging talent.
• Check the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. — The newly displayed inaugural gown of First Lady Melania Trump is part of the ongoing "The First Ladies" exhibition on the third floor, confirmed open through April and beyond.