Born in Urbino in 1483 as Raffaello di Giovanni Santi, Raphael soon left the Marches region to seek patronage in Umbria and Tuscany. His genius solidified in Florence, and during the last decade of his short life, he became the favored artist of the papacy in Rome, where he was acclaimed as the “prince of painters.” Raphael not only created masterpieces but also led teams of assistants, training a generation of artists who would look to him as a model.
On March 29, 2026, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York will open the first major exhibition in the United States dedicated to the meteoric career of this Renaissance master. The exhibition, the culmination of seven years of preparation, will feature an unprecedented collection of drawings, paintings, prints, and tapestries, revealing the creative audacity of an artist who did not reach forty years of age within the vibrant context of the Italian Cinquecento. It will also explore the profound literary connection in his work: Raphael came from a family of poets and painters, was an intimate friend of literary figures, and even ventured to compose sonnets, reflecting his era’s view of painting and poetry as sister arts. The elegance of his compositions evokes the ancient aphorism that “painting is mute poetry, and poetry is blind painting.”
This exhibition will bring together loans rarely seen together, such as the iconic Madonna Alba from the National Gallery of Washington, displayed alongside its preparatory sketches from Lille, and the Portrait of Baldassarre Castiglione from the Louvre, considered one of the finest of the High Renaissance. Raphael’s works, he was also an architect, fused compositional ambition with lyricism, emotion, and intellectual depth, achieving an extraordinary degree of complexity and beauty for his time.
The exhibition will follow a chronological order, supplemented by thematic sections that delve into the evolution of his ideas and recent scientific discoveries about his work. By presenting drawings alongside canvases and pieces in other formats, the show will highlight the prodigious versatility of the artist from Urbino in his creative processes.
Raphael was a virtuous visual storyteller, achieving exceptional refinement in his representation of women, in both sacred and profane images. His vision of Venus and the Virgins might have been influenced by the humanist court of Urbino, championed by Federico III da Montefeltro, to whom Raphael’s father, Giovanni Santi, dedicated a poem.
It was his father, Giovanni Santi, who introduced him to the workshop of Pietro Perugino. Perugino’s elegant figures, technical mastery, and efficient methods for reproducing designs left an indelible mark on the young Raphael. The exhibition in New York will feature joint projects, including what is considered Raphael’s first entirely independent painting after a recent restoration.
The exhibition will then analyze the period between 1500 and 1507, when Raphael, seeking patrons, painted everything from monumental altarpieces to small devotional works. A key example is the large Colonna altarpiece, from a congregation of nuns in Perugia, which is reunited here in its entirety for the first time since its dismemberment around 1663.
Full-scale drawings for an altarpiece in the Oddi family chapel in Perugia will also be on display, revealing the workshop practices Raphael learned and perfected alongside Perugino, utilizing black chalk, pen and ink, and metalpoint on paper.
Raphael was likely drawn to Florence by praise for the drawings of Leonardo and Michelangelo, his great rivals. He studied their compositions and, during this period, developed an unparalleled treatment of space, sculptural monumentality, and expressive force, the result of hours of experimentation with paper, clay, and wax.
However, he also managed to convey a unique innocent tenderness in his depictions of the Madonna and Child, while maintaining superior anatomical realism. In an era prone to the humanization of religious themes, he favored the appeal of delicate Madonnas as votive figures.
Although he adopted the convention of presenting Mary as an elegant, aristocratic lady with soft facial features and blonde hair, he also strove to imbue his works with profound Christian ideals. He brought humanity and psychological presence through gestures and reactions, and acquired an astonishing mastery of light, color, space, and geometry. His portraits communicate deep empathy, the result of years of drawing practice aimed at achieving an intimate and attentive contemplation of the sitter.
The elegance of his models’ poses also suggests the intention to capture the refined manners of Italian Renaissance courts and the ideals of beauty celebrated by poets. Raphael was an intimate friend of Baldassarre Castiglione, whose manual on courtly behavior promoted “sprezzatura,” a studied nonchalance or indifference.
In 1508, Raphael arrived in Rome, where he became the favorite court artist of Popes Julius II and Leo X. Surpassing an earlier generation of painters, he took charge of the fresco decoration of the Stanza della Segnatura, the most important room in the Vatican.
The exhibition will bring together his studies for The School of Athens, with its assembly of philosophers, and for the Disputa, representing Catholic theology. These works demonstrate the artist’s mastery of the expressive potential of drawing. Also included will be essays for his monumental works in the Sala di Eliodoro or the Sala di Costantino, as well as eloquent final works, whose chiaroscuro recalls Leonardo and whose gazes, poses, and gestures communicate a sense of impending drama.
Raphael and his workshop completed an astonishing number of large-scale projects in his final six years. This efficient organization allowed him to concentrate his creative energy on inventing new designs and exploring alternative forms. Although he rarely interrupted his papal projects, he made an exception for Agostino Chigi, creating works with contorted poses and powerful musculature, considered precursors of Mannerism.
In 1517, Raphael acquired the Palazzo Caprini, represented in two works featured in the exhibition. There he lived his final years in Rome, almost like a king.
