Wire report
From card game to a tool of divination: the artistic history of tarot
A new exhibition follows the unlikely route of tarot cards all the way from 15th century Italy to its association with the occult now Once the territory of bohemians such as Pamela Colman Smith – an intimate of William Butler Yeats whose art won the admiration of Alfred Stieglitz – and mystics such as Aleister Crowley (among other things, inventor of his own religion), the tarot has now gone mainstream. Searches for how to do tarot readings skyrocketed during the pandemic, and decks are proliferating at a dizzying pace – your local independent bookstore probably sells at least a dozen of them. It’s never been easier to get a reading – or at least a quick card pull – and The Morgan Library & Museum’s new show, Tarot!, capitalizes on the practice’s increasing popularity to lure in the curious and knowledgeable alike. Tarot! starts by charting the cards’ evolution from Renaissance Italy
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A new exhibition follows the unlikely route of tarot cards all the way from 15th century Italy to its association with the occult now Once the territory of bohemians such as Pamela Colman Smith – an intimate of William Butler Yeats whose art won the admiration of Alfred Stieglitz – and mystics such as Aleister Crowley (among other things, inventor of his own religion), the tarot has now gone mainstream. Searches for how to do tarot readings skyrocketed during the pandemic, and decks are proliferating at a dizzying pace – your local independent bookstore probably sells at least a dozen of them. It’s never been easier to get a reading – or at least a quick card pull – and The Morgan Library & Museum’s new show, Tarot!, capitalizes on the practice’s increasing popularity to lure in the curious and knowledgeable alike. Tarot! starts by charting the cards’ evolution from Renaissance Italy
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According to The Guardian’s linked item, From card game to a tool of divination: the artistic history of tarot, A new exhibition follows the unlikely route of tarot cards all the way from 15th century Italy to its association with the occult now Once the territory of bohemians such as Pamela Colman Smith – an intimate of William Butler Yeats whose art won the admiration of Alfred Stieglitz – and mystics such as Aleister Crowley (among other things, inventor of his own religion), the tarot has now gone mainstream. Searches for how to do tarot readings skyrocketed during the pandemic, and decks are proliferating at a dizzying pace – your local independent bookstore probably sells at least a dozen of them. It’s never been easier to get a reading – or at least a quick card pull – and The Morgan Library & Museum’s new show, Tarot!, capitalizes on the practice’s increasing popularity to lure in the curious and knowledgeable alike. Tarot! starts by charting the cards’ evolution from Renaissance Italy
Context
The development sits in VINI’s Culture coverage for readers following arts, entertainment, fashion, film, music, celebrity, and the business of culture. The original report is linked so readers can check the source account, follow later updates, and compare new coverage against the first published record. The linked item is dated 2026-06-30T09:00:35+00:00.
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Source
Primary source: From card game to a tool of divination: the artistic history of tarot via The Guardian. VINI cites and links the source; it does not reproduce the publisher’s full article text without rights clearance.
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- From card game to a tool of divination: the artistic history of tarotThe Guardian - 2026-06-30T09:00:35+00:00
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