Orientalism: Between Fact and Fantasy, running June 12, 2026 through February 28, 2027, features approximately 180 objects from twelve Met departments along with rarely seen loans from the U.S. and abroad, and focuses on cross-cultural encounters in Europe and the Middle East during a period of growing imperialism and colonialism. The exhibition presents present works of art traditionally identified as Orientalist in conversation with objects from the Middle East, beginning with Napoleon’s conquest of Egypt in 1798 and culminating in an exploration of the French-trained Ottoman painter Osman Hamdi Bey (1842–1910). Displayed across four galleries that straddle the departments of European Paintings and Islamic Art, the presentation contains easel paintings, drawings, photographs, illustrated books, architecture, arms and armor, textiles, garments, glassware, ceramics, and metalwork.
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