A beloved component of the Festival of Arts of Laguna Beach, the 93rd annual Pageant of the Masterswill feature some of history’s most recognizable works of art, spanning centuries and artistic styles, brought to life through the pageant’s signature living pictures production. Performances run nightly from July 9 to September 4 under the stars in the Irvine Bowl amphitheater.
Volunteer cast members are carefully posed for the re-creation of Winslow Homer’s 1872 painting Snap the Whip.
With the theme “The Greatest of All Time,” the pageant will transform 40 works of art into a theatrical display that asks audience members to examine what it truly means for an artist to earn enduring greatness. The masterpieces will be brought to life with posed, costumed actors, props and scenery arranged on stage under theatrical lighting to portray life-sized likenesses of the original works. The technical feat involves rolling the scenes across the stage one by one, giving audience members time to marvel as a live orchestra plays and a narrator describes the art depicted.
This year will feature works from Leonardo da Vinci, Vincent van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Michelangelo, Claude Monet, Frida Kahlo, Rembrandt, Norman Rockwell, Winslow Homer, John Singer Sargent and more. When curating this year’s list of roughly 20 artists, the research committee explored freely before narrowing the list of contenders by considering recognition, familiarity, historical influence and cultural resonance. The selected artists represent movements from the Renaissance to American realism that defined and reshaped culture and whose lasting legacies continue to inspire artists today.
Pageant patrons anticipate the show in the scenic Irving Bowl amphitheater. Photo credit: Kyle Fierro.
In addition to bringing masterpieces to life, this year actors will also portray the artists themselves—sharing their backstories and adding a biographical element to the production.
Many of the featured artists have been studied for centuries, but the 2026 production aims to challenge its audience to slow down and encourage new perspectives.
“These works have become recognizable and sometimes even mundane, a part of pop culture,” says pageant director Diane Challis Davy. “So many people don’t take time to really look at a painting or analyze it. Through the alchemy of staging and storytelling, we can draw the audience in for a closer look.” —
Pageant of the Masters
July 9-September 4, 2026
650 Laguna Canyon Road
Laguna Beach, CA 92651
(800) 487-3378, www.foapom.com
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