Winter exhibitions at Montréal museums

Explore the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts

The MMFA in the Golden Square Mile presents the world premiere of the retrospective Joyce Wieland: Heart On which celebrates the subversive and politically engaged work of Joyce Wieland (1930-1998). Through some 100 works, it delves into her multifaceted practice – covering drawing, painting, experimental film, textile and plastic assemblages – that spanned some 40 years. Runs February 8 to May 4.

The Bad Girls Only: Women and the Seven Deadly Sins exhibition showcases some 20 rare Dutch and Flemish prints and drawings from the Museum’s collection. Dating from the 15^th to 17^th centuries, works on paper by Albrecht Dürer, Hendrick Goltzius, Jacob Matham and Hieronymus Wierix invite visitors to explore treasures from the Museum’s collection and to question historical associations between women and sin and their impact in the present. Runs March 26 to August 10.

The Canadian premiere of world-renowned Albanian artist Anri Sala's immersive video work Ravel Ravel Interval (2017) in the Museum’s Contemporary Art Square runs to April 27. This installation – on which Montréal pianist Louis Lortie collaborated – launches the MMFA’s celebrations of the 150^th anniversary of the birth of composer Maurice Ravel (1875-1937).

Reliving the past

The Saint-Henri exhibition at the Pointe-à-Callière, Montréal Archaeology and History Complex in Old Montréal explores the vibrant and captivating history of a unique Montréal neighbourhood, runs to May 11.

The exhibition Witches: Out of the Shadows (Sorcières : de l’ombre à la lumière) chronicles the little-known history of witches with more than 400 objects from European and American collections. Pendulums, crystals, tarot cards, herbariums and interactive elements enable visitors to explore such practices as divination, spells, healing, and protection rituals, and examine the beliefs, symbols and fascinating practices of witchcraft. Runs to April 6.

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

Visitors are encouraged to purchase their tickets online before visiting the museum. 

Avant-garde art at PHI

The PHI Centre in Old Montréal presents Coded Dreams which explores the intersection of artificial intelligence and interactive art through two experiences created by Marc Da Costa and Matthew Niederhauser. Run to January 12.

The hotly-anticipated exhibition Jean-Marc Vallée: Mixtape offers visitors a multimedia and sound journey into the memory and work of the famed Montréal film director for whom mixtapes were an essential part of his creative process. With the participation of Marc-André Grondin, Evelyne Brochu, Denis Villeneuve, Reese Witherspoon, Vanessa Paradis, Laura Dern and others. Runs February 13 to May 4. Free admission but reservations required.

The PHI Centre also presents Habitat Sonore in one of Montréal’s only spatial audio listening rooms. The current program features Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds until January 19. Click here for complete schedule.

Over at the PHI Foundation of Contempory Art, the immersive touring show Oma-je is the largest North American exhibition to date by acclaimed French artist Laure Prouvost. Runs to March 9.

The Phi Centre also presents the North American premiere of Jim Henson’s The Storyteller: The Seven Ravens, an augmented reality storybook in the Place des Arts Exhibition Room. The experience lasts 20 minutes. Free admission. Runs to February 23.

Ancient Egypt revisited

The PHI also presents The Horizon of Khufu: A Journey in Ancient Egypt, a unique VR expedition that brings together ancient history and new technologies to relive the reign of Egyptian Pharaoh Khufu and explore the 146-metre-high Great Pyramid of Giza, Khufu’s final resting place built between 2,590 and 2,565 BC. Visitors wander through galleries and spaces inside the Great Pyramid before reaching its top for a breathtaking view of modern Cairo and the Giza Plateau, then board an Ancient Egyptian sun boat on the Nile to witness the funerary rite of Khufu 4,500 years ago. 

The Horizon of Khufu is located in the Old Port next door to the Montréal Science Centre. Children under 8 not admitted. The 45-minute immersive experience has been extended to January 19.

Life Chronicles

Embark on the Life Chronicles immersive expedition exploring our planet’s major evolutionary phases covering 3.5 billion years of the Earth’s history and the living organisms that inhabit it, including dinosaurs and the mighty Tyrannosaurus Rex. Equipped with a virtual reality headset, visitors experience the past brought to life with stunning visuals and sounds grounded in meticulous scientific accuracy.

Life Chronicles is located in the Old Port next door to the Montréal Science Centre. Children under 8 not admitted. The 45-minute immersive experience runs from February 19 to October 13.

OASIS immersion

Canada’s largest indoor immersive attraction, OASIS immersion at the Palais des congrès de Montréal presents two exhibitions, Root for Nature and VAN GOGH - Distorsion.

In collaboration with National Geographic, OASIS immersion presents Root for Nature which was 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 February 2.

The VAN GOGH - Distorsion exhibition is back. Journey through more than 225 paintings, drawings and sketches and a contemporary look at Van Gogh’s works in the acclaimed immersive exhibition which runs to February 2.

Contemporary Art in the Underground

Artists from around the world are showcased in the 17^th edition of Montréal’s Art Souterrain festival during which the city’s famed Underground Pedestrian Network is transformed into a four-kilometre-long contemporary art gallery from March 15 to April 6.

The Musée d'Art Contemporain (MAC) at Place Ville Marie

The Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal – widely known as The MAC (or “Le MAC” in French) – presents The Children Have to Hear Another Story, a groundbreaking exhibition dedicated to the work of Abenaki documentary filmmaker, activist, and singer Alanis Obomsawin, one of the world’s most renowned Indigenous directors. Runs to January 26.

All MAC contemporary art exhibitions are presented at the MAC’s temporary location in the Place Ville Marie shopping mall during the museum’s current $57-million renovation. The new MAC will open in 2028.

Montréal today and yesterday

The McCord Stewart Museum in the Golden Square Mile presents artist-in-residence Michaëlle Sergile’s exhibition To All the Unnamed Women which combines archival records and fiction to trace the origins of the first collective created by Black women in Québec, the Coloured Women’s Club of Montréal (CWCM). Runs to January 12.

The McCord has selected Andrew Jackson for the third photographic commission in its Evolving Montréal series. The Montreal-based British-Canadian artist’s research-creation project focuses on Little Burgundy and explores the urban, social and cultural transformations of the neighbourhood known as the cradle of Montréal’s Black Anglophone community. Runs February 21 to September 28.

The McCord presents the exhibition Inuit Universe about Manasie Akpaliapik, a contemporary artist from Ikpiarjuk (Arctic Bay) on Baffin Island, Nunavut (runs to March 9); and Costume Balls: Dressing Up History, 1870-1927, showcasing outfits worn on these occasions from the McCord Stewart Museum’s renowned Dress, Fashion, and Textiles collection (runs to August 17).

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 art of architecture

The  Canadian Centre for Architecture in Shaughnessy Village is not just an architectural jewel in the heart of downtown Montréal, but a world-renowned museum of architecture and international research institution that believes “architecture is a public concern.” 

Reading Landscapes is a small selection of books from the CCA Collection that reflect on the ever-changing concept of landscape, on display in the CCA hall cases until February 16, 2025.

The exhibition Being There: Photography in Arthur Erickson’s Early Travel Diaries examines renowned architect Arthur Erickson’s exchanges with people, places, landscapes, buildings, rituals and ideas during his early travels in Europe and North Africa between 1950 and 1952, and in Asia in 1961. Runs November 14 to March 16.

To Build Laws – the upcoming documentary directed by Joshua Frank and exhibition curated by Francesco Garutti – follows the collaborative architecture practice bplus.xyz as they examine construction industry reforms, shift cultural norms and incentivize renovation over demolition and new construction. Runs to May 25.

As CCA founder Phyllis Lambert says, “We’re not a museum that puts things out and says, ‘This is architecture.’ We try to make people think.” 

Espace pour la vie museums

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 Botanical Garden, 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 Botanical Garden, 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. 

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 is an environmental museum.

Purchasing fixed-time tickets online is highly recommended.

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, Woodland Caribou, 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 am to 5 pm. The last admission of the day is at 4 PM. Tickets must be purchased online in advance. Closed on December 25.

Montréal Science Centre 

The Montréal Science Centre in the Old Port of Montréal presents the all-new interactive exhibition Banquet that will transform visitors into apprentice cooks. Learn how science is baked right into gastronomy and the culinary arts by exploring five exhibition zones: The Kitchen, the Appetizer, the Banquet, the Show, and the Educational Workshop. Runs to March 16.

The children-friendly permanent exhibitions at the Montréal Science Centre are all open, while its IMAX cinema screens films for all ages, including Australia 3D: The Wild Continent.

Click here for the screening schedules of the latest films.

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 museum also presents the temporary exhibitionHomage, a nationally touring collection of 41 neck-pieces that celebrates exceptional Canadian women throughout the ages (runs to February 9).

The Château Ramezay welcomes visitors daily from 10 am to 5 pm. No reservations required. 

Our Lady of the Harbour

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” not just because it overlooks the harbour, but because it was famed in the 19^th  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 am to 5 pm from Tuesday to Saturday, and open 10 am to 5 pm on Sundays.

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

Heavenly exhibition

Created by the Musée des Hospitalières de l’Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal to mark the bicentennial year of the birth of Mount Royal Park’s creator, famed American landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted (1822-1903), the temporary exhibition Our Mountain: Memories of Mount Royal tells the 5,000-year-old story of Montréal’s iconic “mountain” located in the heart of the city. Runs to January 5.

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 AM to 12 PM and from 1 PM to 5 PM, and weekends from 10 am to 5 pm.

Arsenal Contemporary Art Montreal

Arsenal Contemporary Art Montreal is a cutting-edge art centre located in the hip, urban Griffintown neighbourhood, and promotes and develops contemporary Canadian art by exhibiting local artists.

A smash hit in Paris and Brussels, Tintin: The Immersive Adventure pays tribute to Hergé and the famous Belgian reporter, from the first 1929 edition of Tintin in the Land of the Soviets to the latest publications. Visitors will discover legendary artifacts and unique treasures before diving into an immersive experience with six themes such as “Tintin, Great Reporter” and “The Big Villains.” Extended to January 12.

Diane Dufresne: L’exposition immersive, Aujourd’hui, hier et pour toujours explores the work and legacy of the beloved Québec diva who is celebrating her 80th birthday this year. Extended to January 5.

Écomusée du fier monde

Dedicated to exploring the history of Montréal’s working class, the Écomusée du fier monde is open from Wednesday to Sunday. Their latest exhibition Crossroads and Culture: Ontario Street in the Faubourgs runs to March 2.