The Morgan Library & Museum will present Tarot! Renaissance Symbols, Modern Visions, an exhibition in two parts that explores the origins of tarot in Renaissance Italy and its contemporary relevance as an enduring source of inspiration for 20th- and 21st-century artists. The first part, Renaissance Symbols, focuses on the earliest surviving tarot decks from the 15th century, examining the rich court culture from which the cards emerged, the development of the cards imagery, and how that imagery became the basis for later divination practices. The second part, Modern Visions, traces artists engagement with tarot imagery during four distinct historical moments in which the occult assumed greater prominence within the larger culture, culminating in a new commission by renowned contemporary artist Chris Ofili. The exhibition will be on view from Friday, June 26, through Sunday, Oct. 4. The impetus for this exhibition was the Morgans Visconti-Sforza Tarot cards, the most famous deck to survive from the Renaissance. The Visconti-Sforza deck was commissioned to commemorate the marriage of two powerful families in Milan, and was probably created by the artist Bonifacio Bembo. Tarot! reunites all the figural cards in the Morgans collection with those in the collection of Accademia Carrara, Bergamo, Italy, marking the first time the majority of the cards from this important deck will be displayed together in North America. Originally created as a courtly game of skill, tarot was not associated with occult secrets, divination, or the power of fate until centuries later. By the 20th century, the cards came to serve as a source of inspiration for artists, offering an alternative to the strictures of modernist aesthetics and allowing them to explore other universes and imaginative possibilities. Tarot! offers fresh perspectives on a popular and widely known subject through a uniquely arthistorical lens, said Colin B. Bailey, Katharine J. Rayner Director of the Morgan Library & Museum. This exhibition marks the culmination of years of careful research into both the history and creation of a celebrated Renaissance art form and the broader history of tarot, tracing its influence up to the present day, where contemporary artists continue to draw on its imagery to create sublime works of art. The reunification of the Visconti-Sforza Tarot deck was made possible through the Morgans collaboration with the Accademia Carrara, Bergamo, and we are deeply grateful for their partnership. This exhibition honors a collaborative research project, conducted over several years across six cultural institutions, that compared the three oldest surviving sets of tarocchi (tarot) cards. The study began in 2021 and included conservators, conservation scientists, and curators from the Morgan Library & Museum; Yale University; the Metropolitan Museum of Art; the Art Institute of Chicago; the Center for Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage, La Venaria Reale, in Turin; the Accademia Carrara; and the Pinacoteca di Brera. Marking the first time these cards were subject to in-depth technical analysis, this project provided a deeper understanding of the cards materials and production, situating them firmly within the context of contemporary northern Italian illumination. For more information, visit www.themorgan.org.