Exhibitions at Montréal museums in Winter 2026: must see art, culture and history
Museums Culture, arts and heritage
Montréal museums and galleries are alive with blockbuster exhibitions showcasing photography, Indigenous and contemporary art, antiquities and architecture this Winter 2026.
What museum exhibitions are currently in Montréal?
More than 15 million visitors explore Montréal museums each year. For locals and tourists looking for the top things to do in Montréal, here is your Montréal museum guide to the city’s must‑see Winter 2026 exhibitions.
Downtown and Golden Square Mile
Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
The Kent Monkman: History Is Painted by the Victors exhibition at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts in the Golden Square Mile features 40 monumental paintings by the famed Canadian artist and member of ocêkwi sîpiy (Fisher River Cree Nation) who challenges colonial narratives and offers new perspectives on the past and our present. Runs to March 8.
The Richard Avedon: Immortal. Portraits of Aging, 1951-2004 exhibition presents some 100 portraits that dramatize the universal experience of aging and how people confront the relentless advance of mortality, photographed by one of most influential photographers of the 20th century. Runs February 12 to August 9.
The The Torlonia Collection: Masterpieces of Roman Sculpture exhibition displays 58 life-like marble sculptures: Roman statues, busts, and sarcophagi; stunning bas-reliefs; mythological creatures; and striking portraits of gods and goddesses, emperors – including Marcus Aurelius, Hadrian and Commodus – and their wives. Runs March 14 to July 19.
The 4th floor of the Claire and Marc Bourgie Pavilion welcomes year-long temporary exhibitions dedicated to a rereading of Québec and Canadian art history using works in the Museum’s collection. The inaugural exhibition, Rising Suns: Art from the Confederacies of the Great Lakes and Rivers, brings together works by such artists as Alanis Obomsawin, Carla Hemlock, Christine Sioui Wawanoloath, Greg Staats and Robert Houle. Runs to October 11.
Motivated by a shared desire to promote Quebec artists, the MMFA and the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal – widely known as The MAC (or “Le MAC” in French) – have joined forces to present Comfort and Indifference: Recent Acquisitions by the MAC. Organized by the MAC and hosted by the MMFA, this exhibition brings together 37 works by 22 artists born or living in Québec, acquired by the MAC between 2020 and 2025. Runs to May 3.
McCord Stewart Museum
Aunties’ Work: The Power of Care
The McCord Stewart Museum in the Golden Square Mile presents the Aunties’ Work: The Power of Care exhibition about the systems of support created by matriarchs of Montréal’s Black communities through the sartorial and cultural context that surrounds them. Runs to May 24.
On the Menu – Montreal: A Restaurant Story
The critically-acclaimed exhibition On the Menu – Montreal: A Restaurant Story explores the changing face of the Montréal restaurant scene since the 1960s. From deli to fine dining, it reveals how part of Montréal’s identity has been shaped by eating out. Runs to October 18.
The Montreal 1976: An Olympic Feat marks the 50th Anniversary of the 1976 Olympic Games in Montréal. The exhibition explores many facets of the Games via a rich collection of documents and objects including clothing, archives, posters, cartoons, photographs and artefacts. Runs March 27 to September 7.
Indigenous Voices of Today
The permanent exhibition Indigenous Voices of Today: Knowledge, Trauma, Resilience pulls together 100 carefully selected objects from the museum’s Indigenous Cultures permanent collection.
The Musée d'Art Contemporain (MAC) at Place Ville Marie
As part of the 19th edition of the MOMENTA Biennale d’art contemporain, the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal – widely known as The MAC (or “Le MAC” in French) – presents the group exhibition In Praise of the Missing Image. Runs to March 8.
The MAC presents contemporary art exhibitions at their temporary location in the Place Ville Marie shopping mall during the museum’s current $57-million renovation. Click here for tickets and directions. The new MAC will open in 2028.
Canadian Centre for Architecture
The Canadian Centre for Architecture in Shaughnessy Village is not just an architectural jewel in the heart of downtown Montréal, but a world-renowned museum of architecture and international research institution that believes “architecture is a public concern.”
Their exhibition How Modern: Biographies of Architecture in China 1949–1979 explores how architecture was a key part of China’s vision for socialist modernity. Many misconceptions of this history persist today: that nationalization and collectivism denied architects creative freedom, that projects were more focused on industrial productivity than design quality, and that the state’s emphasis on a “national style” limited the diversity of modern architecture. Produced and curated in collaboration with M+ Museum in Hong Kong, this exhibition reconsiders these assumptions. Runs to April 5.
The Culture Lab exhibition explores the Toronto multidisciplinary symposium series to provide new clues about the many forms and channels through which architectural discourses are shaped and circulated. Runs February 26 to August 30.
As CCA founder Phyllis Lambert says, “We’re not a museum that puts things out and says, ‘This is architecture.’ We try to make people think.”
Centre Sanaaq
The Centre Sanaaq in Shaughnessy Village presents the exhibition Triomphe: The Story of Gloria Clarke Baylis curated by hip hop artist and historian Webster (a.k.a. Aly Ndiaye). The exhibition pays tribute to the legendary Montréal activist, nurse and successful businesswoman who made history by winning Canada’s first employment-related racial discrimination case in 1965 after she was denied a nursing job at Montréal’s Queen Elizabeth Hotel – then operated by Hilton – because she was Black. Runs to March 8.
Plateau-Mont-Royal
Musée des Hospitalières de l’Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal
Medicine and Charity
The Musée des Hospitalières de l’Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal presents the exhibition Medicine and Charity: Hotels-Dieu from the Middle Ages to New France (Médecine et charité, les Hotels-Dieu du Moyen Âge à la Nouvelle-France), produced in collaboration with four Hôtels-Dieu in France that were founded between the 13th and 17th centuries: those of Tonnerre, Beaune, Chalon-sur-Saône, and Baugé. Nearly 100 objects – including some pieces never before seen in Canada – are on display, including stained-glass windows, sculptures, paintings, furniture, tapestries, everyday objects related to the care of the sick, and archives that allow visitors to explore the history and ancient hospital heritage of France and Québec. Runs to September 13.
The permanent exhibition at the Musée des Hospitalières de l’Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal explores the 300-year history of Montréal’s first hospital, Hôtel-Dieu, along with that of the Hospitallers of Saint Joseph, a pioneering community of women who laid the foundations of the healthcare system, in Montréal and elsewhere in Canada.
Located in the trendy Plateau-Mont-Royal, the museum is open Tuesday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., and weekends from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Griffintown
Arsenal Contemporary Art Montreal
Collection Majudia Selection of Works from the Collection
Arsenal Contemporary Art Montreal is a cutting-edge art centre located in the hip, urban Griffintown neighbourhood, and promotes contemporary art by exhibiting Canadian artists alongside international artists.
Tonight with The Impressionist
The virtual reality immersive expedition Tonight with The Impressionists – Paris 1874 steps into 19th-century Paris to relive the birth of Impressionism by transporting visitors to the very first Impressionist exhibition in 1874. Runs to March 9.
The virtual reality experience Eternal Notre-Dame transports visitors through Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral to trace 850 years of history to its recent restoration. Runs to March 9.
The Thresholds interactive installation by artist Michel de Broin is made up of a dozen Montréal metro car doors; and American artist Rebecca Manson presents the Canadian premiere of Barbecue, a monumental ceramic installation composed of more than 50,000 individually handcrafted glazed pieces.
A selection of recent acquisitions from the prominent Collection Majudia are showcased in a group exhibition of 24 artists, on display in the Arsenal’s vast sky-lit hall.
Quartier des spectacles
MEM – Centre des mémoires montréalaises
By and For: 30 Years of Sex Worker Resistance
Organized by Stella, l’amie de Maimie whose mission is to improve the quality of life and working conditions for female sex workers, the exhibition By and For: 30 Years of Sex Worker Resistance is presented at the MEM – Centre des mémoires montréalaises – widely known as The MEM (or “Le MEM” in French) – located in the heart of the former historic Red Light District of Montréal where a sex workers’ rights movement took shape in the early 1990s. Free admission. Runs to March 15.
Old Montréal and Old Port
Pointe-à-Callière, Montréal Archaeology and History Complex
The Sherlock Holmes: Cracking the Case immersive exhibition at the Pointe-à-Callière, Montréal Archaeology and History Complex in Old Montréal combines history, literature and investigation from the world of the legendary detective brought to life by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Runs to March 8.
Pointe-à-Callière
Pirates or Privateers?
Families will also enjoy Pointe-à-Callière’s permanent Come Aboard! Pirates or Privateers? interactive exhibition.
Montréal Science Centre
Nanualuk – Northern Expedition
To mark their 25th anniversary, the Montréal Science Centre in the Old Port of Montréal presents their new permanent immersive exhibition Nanualuk – Northern Expedition filled with more than 20 missions to accomplish, each featuring a different theme related to life in the Arctic, such as learning how to use a harpoon to “read” the ice, and finding your way using the stars. Every mission has a different level of difficulty.
Montréal Science Centre
FUNNY CREATURES
Funny Creatures is a “photo safari” exhibition of animals caught on camera in comical, cute and curious poses.
Their IMAX cinema screens films for all ages.
Marguerite Bourgeoys Historic Site
Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours Chapel
Visitors are transported back through time at the Marguerite Bourgeoys Historic Site which houses the Chapel of Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours in the heart of Old Montréal.
Built in 1771 over the ruins of an earlier chapel, the Marguerite Bourgeoys Historic Site houses a museum dedicated to Saint Marguerite Bourgeoys, the Frenchwoman who founded the Congregation of Notre Dame of Montréal and was the colony’s first teacher back in 1653 (Bourgeoys was canonized by the Vatican in 1982). Bourgeoys is buried in the chapel.
Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours chapel is also known as the “Sailor’s Church” because it was famed in the 19th century for being a pilgrimage site for sailors who arrived in the Port (now the Old Port).
Visitors can climb the chapel’s belvedere to join the “angels of Ville-Marie” and enjoy spectacular views of the Old Port and Old Montréal, as well as visit the permanent Meet Marguerite! exhibition exploring Bourgeoys’ personal saga and legacy.
The historic site is closed on Mondays, open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Tuesday to Saturday, and open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays.
Tickets can be bought online or at the door. Free admission to the chapel.
PHI
Manuel Mathieu: Unity in Darkness
The PHI in Old Montréal presents the comprehensive Unity in Darkness solo exhibition by Montréal-based Haitian artist Manuel Mathieu whose multidisciplinary practice explores themes of resilience, memory, spirituality and interconnectedness. Runs to March 8.
The Sensory Oversoul exhibition features the North American debut of two installations by London- and Berlin-based collective Keiken: Spirit Systems of Soft Knowing and Morphogenic Angels: Chapter 1. The installations explore themes of interconnectivity, materiality and speculative futures. Runs to March 8.
PHI also presents Habitat Sonore in one of Montréal’s only spatial audio listening rooms.
Château Ramezay – Historic Site and Museum of Montréal
Originally built in 1705 by Montréal’s then-governor Claude de Ramezay as his personal residence, the Château Ramezay in Old Montréal is the oldest private historical museum in Québec. Permanent and seasonal exhibitions attest to the far-reaching history of Montréal, but none so much as the Château Ramezay itself, which served as the Canadian headquarters of the American Revolutionary Army in 1775-1776, and where Benjamin Franklin stayed when he tried to persuade Montréal to join the American revolution. The Château Ramezay welcomes visitors daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Quartier International
OASIS immersion
Canada’s largest indoor immersive attraction, OASIS immersion in the Palais des congrès de Montréal presents the 90-minute exhibition Rolling Stone Presents: Amplified, The Immersive Rock Experience narrated by musician and actor Kevin Bacon. The immersive show features more than 1,000 iconic photographs and floor-to-ceiling live video performances of some of music’s most legendary acts like The Beatles, Bruce Springsteen and David Bowie. Runs to February 14.
Root for Nature
In collaboration with National Geographic, OASIS immersion presents Root for Nature inspired by the historic COP15 agreements. Root for Nature immerses visitors in a striking interpretation of biodiversity via immersive digital arts and informative educational zones. Runs to April 4.
Inspired by Camille Saint-Saëns’ musical masterpiece, The Immersive Carnival of the Animals exhibition plunges visitors into a vibrant retro-futuristic universe filled with whimsical characters—half-animal, half-instrument—and a playful, interactive scenography. Especially designed for children aged 2 to 12. Runs February 27 to April 5.
Beyond downtown
Espace pour la vie
Montréal Olympic Park
Children of all ages can discover new worlds at Montréal Espace pour la vie, the largest natural-sciences museum complex in Canada. Espace pour la vie comprises the Jardin botanique, Planetarium, the Biosphere, Insectarium and famed Biodôme.
In the Planétarium, the domes of the Chaos and Milky Way theatres are equipped with state-of-the-art laser projectors for an ultra-HD experience. The Planétarium offers a double bill each day.
Over at the Jardin botanique, in addition to the carnivorous plants, visitors can admire superb passionflowers and begonias in full bloom, and see fruit growing on banana, carambola, jackfruit and papaya trees, daily in the greenhouses.
The Biodôme takes visitors through the five ecosystems of the Americas. The Biodôme is a huge crowd-pleaser, especially with children.
Insectarium
The renovated Insectarium is the first museum in North America where you can observe so many species of insects live – some roaming freely – and naturalized in one place.
Located in Parc Jean-Drapeau on Île Sainte-Hélène, the Biosphere environmental museum presents the North American premiere of the exhibition Transform: Designing the Future of Energy which runs to April 30.
The Biosphere also presents the interactive Emolab exhibition designed for youth and families to explore the science of climate emotions, to help visitors understand and navigate the emotional responses stirred by the challenges of climate change.
Purchasing fixed-time tickets online is highly recommended.
Centre de design and the Galerie de l'UQAM
The Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) Centre de design hosts temporary exhibitions and activities. The French-language exhibition Toxicité coloniale: Architecture et paysage radioactifs français dans le Sahara examines the period between 1960 and 1966 when the French colonial regime detonated four atmospheric atomic bombs and thirteen underground nuclear bombs in the Sahara Desert in Algeria, causing radioactive fallout that affected Algeria, Africa and the Mediterranean. Runs February 19 to April 12.
The Galerie de l’UQAM presents Saodat Ismailova. Paths of Light, an exhibition about the ancestral traditions, rituals, myths and post-Soviet heritage of Central Asia. Runs February 13 to April 4.
Écomusée du fier monde
Écomusée du fier monde
Dedicated to exploring the history of Montréal’s working class, the Écomusée du fier monde in the Centre-Sud neighbourhood is open from Wednesday to Sunday.
The exhibition Place Émilie-Gamelin : 200 ans de cohabitation sociale (200 Years of Social Cohabitation) explores the history of the crisis of homelessness affecting Place Émilie-Gamelin. Through archives and artifacts, complemented by artistic creations, visitors discover the history of this controversial site as the scene of a long-standing battle over a fundamental question: who has the right to the city? Runs to March 1.
Their permanent exhibition All the Livelong Day! The Joys and Sorrows of Life in a Working-Class Neighbourhood chronicles Centre-Sud from the second half of the 19th century onwards, tracing the neighbourhood’s evolution through the pivotal periods of industrialization, deindustrialization and the community movement.
The Ecomuseum Zoo
Ecomuseum Zoo
The Ecomuseum Zoo is the only outdoor zoo on the island of Montréal and offers visitors a unique and natural experience to observe 115 animal species – including Black Bears, River Otters, Turtles, Canada Lynx and Eagles – found in Québec’s Saint Lawrence Valley. The popular 11-hectare zoo located in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue is a 30-minute drive from downtown Montréal. There is also free on-site parking for all guests.
The Ecomuseum Zoo is open daily from 9 am to 5 pm. The last admission of the day is at 4 PM. Tickets must be purchased online in advance.
The MUMAQ
In addition to its permanent exhibition, the MUMAQ – Musée des métiers d’art du Québec in the Saint Laurent borough presents some 10 temporary exhibitions each year, highlighting the work of contemporary artists.
Richard Burnett
Richard “Bugs” Burnett is a Canadian freelance writer, editor, journalist, blogger and columnist for alt-weeklies, mainstream and LGBTQ+ publications. Bugs also knows Montréal like a drag queen knows a cosmetics counter.