The Cleveland Museum of Art drew more than 800,000 visitors in 2025, a record for the institution and a figure that runs counter to attendance declines reported by many peer museums. As the museum moves through 2026, it is anchoring its calendar around a major exhibition on the artistic relationship between Édouard Manet and Berthe Morisot, developed in partnership with the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, on view through July 5.

The museum is also preparing to reopen its ArtLens Gallery in summer 2026 after a significant redesign. The 13,000-square-foot space will incorporate artificial intelligence tools, immersive environments, and mixed-reality experiences organized around four thematic areas: Relate, Investigate, Create, and Engage. The revamped gallery is intended to deepen visitor engagement with the museum’s encyclopedic collection of more than 66,500 works. Also on view through August 9 is “Martin Puryear: Nexus,” and the gallery “still/emerging: Native American Works on Paper” continues through June 7.

Later this fall, the museum will present “Spectacular Freedom: Andrew Wyeth and the American Watercolor,” featuring approximately 75 watercolors, the majority of which have not previously been exhibited, running September 20, 2026 through January 18, 2027. Founded in 1916 with a mission of serving “all the people forever,” the Cleveland Museum of Art maintains free general admission, funded in part by one of the largest endowments among American art museums.

Source: Side of Culture