Exhibitions at Montréal museums in Spring 2026: must see art, culture and history

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 Spring 2026 exhibitions.

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

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

Motivated by a shared desire to promote Quebec artists, the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal – widely known as The MAC (or “Le MAC” in French) – has joined forces with the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts 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 at the MMFA to May 3.

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

Centre Sanaaq

The Centre Sanaaq in Shaughnessy Village presents the installation Échos de poussière by Marie-Ève ​​Morissette and Simon Chioini which consists of objects and surfaces that the public is invited to touch, rub, and caress. Runs to April 19.

The photographic project I Once Was Who I Am by queer Algeria-born Montréal artist Sara Hini explores the complex intersection between identity and mental health. Runs March 26 to May 17.

Plateau-Mont-Royal

Musée des Hospitalières de l’Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal

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

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.

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 April 12.

From the creators of Horizon of Khufu, the virtual-reality experience The Secret of the Pyramid Builders: Tracing Egyptian Ingenuity embarks on a quest to solve a 4,500-year-old mystery: How did the Egyptians build the pyramids? From the Red Sea to the Great Pyramid, a VR guided tour to discover how the Egyptians achieved the impossible.

The Arsenal Contemporary Art Parcours includes:

• The Thresholds interactive installation by artist Michel de Broin made up of a dozen Montréal metro car doors;
• American artist Rebecca Manson’s monumental ceramic installation Barbecue composed of 50,000 individually handcrafted glazed pieces;
• The landmark work S.S. Hangover by Icelandic artist Ragnar Kjartansson;
• Surrender and Unspoken (Silver & Gold) by Bill Viola, a pioneer of video art and immersive installation. 

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

Old Montréal and Old Port

Pointe-à-Callière, Montréal Archaeology and History Complex

Families will also enjoy Pointe-à-Callière’s permanent Come Aboard! Pirates or Privateers? interactive exhibition.

Montréal Science Centre 

The permanent immersive exhibition Nanualuk – Northern Expedition at the Montréal Science Centre in the Old Port of Montréal offers 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.

Funny Creatures is a “photo safari” exhibition of animals caught on camera in comical, cute and curious poses. Runs to October 18.

Their IMAX cinema screens films for all ages.

Marguerite Bourgeoys Historic Site

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. Beginning May 15, it is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Tickets can be bought online or at the door. Free admission to the chapel.

PHI

The PHI in Old Montréal presents the immersive exhibition Otherworlds by Danish artist Jakob Kudsk Steensen that examines contemporary ecological realities through virtual, sonic, and video worlds. Otherworlds is Steensen’s first solo exhibition in Canada, and includes the North American premiere of his large-scale installation Psychosphere (2025). Runs April 23 to September 13.

Italian multi-media artist Paola Pivi’s exhibition Come check it out. Lies lies lies features sculptural installations that question the authenticity of iconic symbols, such as the Statue of Liberty and the polar bear, which have come to stand in for ideas of freedom and climate change. Runs April 23 to September 13.

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. 

In 2026 the Museum will present (dates to be confirmed) a temporary exhibition on the theme of the American Revolution and the Quebec movement in the 19th century towards greater democracy. Click here for updates on Château Ramezay events and activities marking the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution.

The Château Ramezay welcomes visitors daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Governor’s Garden is open daily from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Quartier International

OASIS immersion

Canada’s largest indoor immersive attraction, OASIS immersion in the Palais des congrès de Montréal presents the following exhibitions:

• 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 May 15. 
• Inspired by Camille Saint-Saëns’ musical masterpiece, The Immersive Carnival of the Animals 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 to May 18.

Beyond downtown

Espace pour la vie

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. 

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 exhibitions Seeking Refuge until April 30, and As Strong as the Wind by photographer Meryl McMaster until May 31. 

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 French colonial regime detonating four atmospheric atomic bombs and 13 underground nuclear bombs in the Sahara Desert in Algeria. Runs to April 12.
• A showcase of the creative and innovative work of graduating students from the École de design de l’UQAM. Runs May 7 to 20.
• The Galerie de l’UQAM presents the following exhibitions:
• Saodat Ismailova. Paths of Light about the ancestral traditions, rituals, myths and post-Soviet heritage of Central Asia. Runs to April 4.
• Prophétesse by Océane Buxton, a graduating master’s student in Visual and Media Arts at UQAM. Runs to April 4.
• Passage à découvert showcases contemporary artists and educators who will occupy museums, galleries, and schools in the future. Runs April 24 to May 2.

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.

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 19^th century onwards, tracing the neighbourhood’s evolution through the pivotal periods of industrialization, deindustrialization and the community movement.

The 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 a.m to 5 p.m. The last admission of the day is at 4 p.m. 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.