DIVA

DIVA is at the Denver Art Museum from October 4, 2026, through January 31, 2027. It's a touring exhibition from London's V&A Museum, and the Denver Art Museum is its only US stop, so this is the only time it'll be in the country. You'll find it in the Hamilton Building on Level 2, across the Anschutz, Martin, and McCormick galleries.

The show is split into two acts. Act one traces the term's Latin origin—diva means goddess—through 19th-century opera and stage stars like Jenny Lind, Maria Callas, Sarah Bernhardt, Isadora Duncan, and Josephine Baker. It moves into silent-film stars Theda Bara, Clara Bow, and Carole Lombard, and then into Hollywood icons Marilyn Monroe and Mae West. There's also a Denver exclusive dedicated to Mexican film legend María Félix. Act two shifts to modern powerhouses: Aretha Franklin, Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, RuPaul, Tina Turner, Cher, Prince, Rihanna, and Elton John.

Across the two acts, there are about 250 objects, nearly 100 divas, and nearly 60 costumes, plus an immersive audio experience. You'll see Marilyn Monroe's fringed black dress from Some Like It Hot (1959) and Cher's stage costumes by Bob Mackie, along with rare personal artifacts and memorabilia. There's also a personality quiz that matches you to one of the divas on show.

Rather than defining what a diva is, the exhibition asks how costume and dress have worked as tools for performers to demand visibility and ignite social change. It reframes the diva not as a stereotype of excess or ego, but as a complex cultural figure whose voice, image, and public presence have transformed modern understandings of gender, sexuality, race, power, and performance. The display runs from 19th-century opera to contemporary pop. General admission for museum members is free every day, and youth 18 and under get free general admission every day through the Free for Kids program.