6 spellbinding museum exhibitions to view this fall

It’s going to be a big fall for museum lovers. Major exhibitions focusing on a legendary tapestry, extraordinary needlework created by American schoolgirls and bejeweled Islamic art are all opening, each one displaying priceless objects from around the globe. Peep these six standouts.

The Bayeux Tapestry, British Museum, London

One of the most important works in European history is the Bayeux Tapestry, a nearly 230-foot-long embroidered cloth that tells the tale of the 1066 Norman conquest of England. The remarkable piece of art is almost 1,000 years old, and on display at the British Museum thanks to a historic agreement with France. Abundant in “visual thrills, horrors and humor,” the tapestry is “stupefying and delightful,” laid out in a case that fills the gallery, said The Guardian.

The tapestry is the hottest ticket in London, and if you can’t secure entry through the traditional channels, there’s another way. One Aldwych is offering the exclusive Bayeux Tapestry package until the end of the year, which includes an overnight stay in this luxe Covent Garden hotel, plus two tickets to see the Bayeux Tapestry, two themed cocktails, English breakfast in the morning and a curated in-room mini-bar. (through July 11, 2027)

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‘Broken. The Power of the Fragment,’ Palazzo Strozzi, Florence, Italy

These remnants tell a story, piece by piece. “Broken. The Power of the Fragment” examines the “reasons and circumstances that have led to the destruction or damage of sculptures,” from war to natural disasters to vandalism, said Palazzo Strozzi. In this well-rounded exhibition, works by Michelangelo and Auguste Rodin are shown next to modern art by Louise Bourgeois and Huma Bhabha, who have “taken the fragment as a starting point for new expressive possibilities.” (Sept. 25, 2026-Jan. 24, 2027)

‘From the Louvre: Masterpieces of Islamic Art,’ Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art, Washington, D.C.

This groundbreaking exhibition of 26 objects from the Louvre’s permanent Islamic art collection marks the first time the museum has loaned the set to another institution. The “treasures” include “Baptistery of Saint Louis,” a 14th-century brass basin from Syria or Egypt, and two “jewel-embedded” ivory pen cases believed to have been commissioned by 17th century Mughal emperor Jahangir, said Artforum. All of the objects — paintings, jade, ceramics, glass and metalwork — are from the 7th to 19th centuries. (Sept. 26, 2026-Jan. 18, 2027)

‘Locating Girlhood: Place and Identity in Early American “Schoolgirl” Art,’ American Folk Art Museum, New York City

The “spectacular” handiwork of 18th and 19th century American girls will be on display at this exhibition “several years in the making,” American Folk Art Museum Deputy Director Emelie Gevalt told Antiques and the Arts Weekly. This collection of more than 100 examples of needlework and other decorative arts, on loan from dozens of museums and private collections, is one of the most “significant” presentations on the subject in years and “sheds new light on a rich but understudied genre.” (Oct. 9, 2026-Feb. 28, 2027)

‘Losing Ourselves Together: The Art of Bobby Anspach,’ Toledo Museum of Art, Ohio

The Toledo Museum of Art invites you to enter the world of Bobby Anspach. The late Toledo-born artist created sculptural installations, and “Losing Ourselves Together” is “anchored” by his immersive “eye machines,” which use “light, sound and carefully constructed optical effects” to alter your sense of “time and space,” said the museum. At your visit’s end, stop in the reflection room, a space for “contemplation and relaxation.” (Oct. 17, 2026-March 14, 2027)

‘Mathematics and the Art of M.C. Escher,’ The National Museum of Mathematics, New York City

Dutch graphic artist M.C. Escher specialized in “mind-bending images” of “impossible architecture, tessellations and visual paradoxes,” making him a “beloved figure in both the art and math worlds,” said the National Museum of Mathematics. In this exhibition, the focus is on his works that feature “elegant mathematical structures,” spotlighting more than 60 wood engravings, drawings, lithographs and 3D objects. (Oct. 1, 2026-Feb. 8, 2027)