Divination, the Renaissance, and Surrealism Commingle in ‘Tarot!’

When we think of tarot cards, there’s a standout that probably pops to mind right away: the Rider-Waite-Smith deck. It was illustrated by British occultist and artist Pamela Coleman Smith, and more than 100 years after its publication, it remains the most widely used deck by readers. But the cards are far from being the first. Later this month, The Morgan Library & Museum presents Tarot! Renaissance Symbols, Modern Visions, which delves into this centuries-old tradition of divination.

The exhibition celebrates some of the earliest examples alongside modern artists’ versions. Three surviving decks from the 15th century, commissioned by the Dukes of Milan, tap into the lively Italian court culture that produced the cards, plus how the imagery evolved and laid the groundwork for fortune-telling practices.

a surreal tarot card by Remedios Varo for "The Other Clock" featuring a fantastical figure in a cosmic setting — Remedios Varo, “The Other Clock (El otro reloj)” (1957), © 2026 Remedios Varo, Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / VEGAP, Madrid. Courtesy of Wendy Norris Gallery

A complementary display emphasizes how artists throughout the 20th century reimagined the imagery, including Smith’s iconic deck from 1909, plus iterations by Surrealists André Breton, Victor Brauner, and Remedios Varo. The connection isn’t coincidental; Leonora Carrington devised a gilded deck in the 1950s, and Salvador Dalí also contributed his own version.

Tarot! Renaissance Symbols, Modern Visions highlights how artists have turned to the practice to explore what the museum describes as “an alternative to the strictures of modernist aesthetics, allowing them to explore other universes and imaginative possibilities.” The show is accompanied by a catalog, which you can order from The Morgan’s shop. See the exhibition from June 26 through October 4 in New York.

a classic tarot card design by Pamela Smith Coleman for "The Chariot" card — Pamela Colman Smith, “The Chariot” from the Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot (Deck “C”), London: William Rider & Son (c. 1921–31, first published in 1909), chromolithograph, 4 3/4 × 2 3/4 inches

a Renaissance-era tarot card for "Death" featuring a slender skeleton — Bonifacio Bembo, “Death” from the Visconti-Sforza Tarot Cards (c. 1456-58), Milan or Cremona, Italy

a drawing for a tarot card featuring inverted, abstracted female figures with blue and white faces and yellow hair — Victor Brauner, “Hélène Smith. Siren of Knowledge – Lock (Sirène de Connaissance – Serrure)” (1941), graphite and colored pencil on tracing paper, 10 13/16 × 7 1/8 inches. Courtesy of Musée Cantini, © 2026 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris. Image © RMN-Grand Palais / Art Resource, NY. Photo by Jean Bernard

a tarot card designed by Roberto Matta for "The Chariot" — Roberto Matta, “The Chariot (Le Chariot)” from ‘Arcane 17’ (1944), lithographic proofs, approximately 7 1/2 × 3 inches chea. Courtesy of Bibliothèque littéraire Jacques Doucet, © 2026 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris

a Renaissance-era tarot card for "The Juggler" featuring a man at a table with a collection of objects — Bonifacio Bembo, “The Juggler” from the Visconti-Sforza Tarot Cards (c. 1456-58), Milan or Cremona, Italy

a tarot card sketch for the "glass" card featuring a figure facing a huge sun — Pamela Colman Smith, “Sketch for Glass” (1908), watercolor and ink on paper, 14 1/4 × 9 inches. Courtesy of the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Yale University

a Renaissance-era tarot card for "Time" featuring and aged man in a blue robe with a walking stick — Bonifacio Bembo, “Time” from the Visconti-Sforza Tarot Cards (c. 1456-58), Milan or Cremona, Italy

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