The Louvre plans three major shows for 2026 that will change entire rooms for months.
First comes Byzantium and the West, opening in March. Over three hundred objects will travel from Istanbul, Ravenna, and Mount Athos—some never exhibited before. The highlight is the Pala d’Oro from Venice, its gold and gems usually hidden behind altar doors.
Summer brings Egypt under the Ptolemies. Alexandria rarely lends anything; this time the museum secured Cleopatra’s own granite statue and underwater finds from the sunken palace quarter. The show ends with the Rosetta Stone on loan from the British Museum for the first time since 1802.
Autumn is reserved for Caravaggio and his French followers. Thirty paintings will gather in the Sully wing, including several from private collections that have not been seen in public for decades. The dramatic lighting Caravaggio invented will be recreated with modern LEDs that do not harm pigment.
Tickets go on sale in January. Past experience says they disappear in hours. Mark the dates now or prepare to stand in very long lines next year.