🔗 Share this article

From Renaissance masters and pop artists, contemporary greats and even a renowned Mexican director, art museums as well as galleries throughout the United States have a series of spectacular exhibitions coming up in 2026.

Roy Lichtenstein

Announced all the way back in 2023, now merely a mostly empty page on a major museum's website, this major retrospective of a central creators of the pop art movement comes with some pretty heavy anticipation. The museum will be drawing on its long-held holdings of close to 500 works by Lichtenstein, as well as, one would imagine, dozens borrowed works from collections around the world. Dates to be announced 2026.

Drawn to Venice and Monet and Venice

Bay Area partner museums, the Legion of Honor along with deYoung, will focus on Venice through two linked shows: the former museum will offer a exploration of the city as a source of artistic inspiration for hundreds of years, and the latter will focus on what impressionist Claude Monet made of the enchanting city of canals. The artist felt intimidated by the prospect of depicting Venice – a theme that had inspired the world’s most esteemed artists for hundreds of years – but he eventually met the challenge, producing approximately 37 paintings, among them the masterpiece *The Grand Canal*. 6 January-2 August and Spring into Summer.

Sueño Perro: a film installation by Alejandro G Iñárritu

Celebrating the quarter-century of his massive first feature, *Amores Perros*, filmmaker Alejandro G Iñárritu revisits over a million feet of footage that never made it of the released movie, creating an art installation that doubles as a homage to film. Reportedly Iñárritu dug deep into the archives to create what he described as “not a tribute, but a resurrection” of one of his most beloved films. It's possible the installation will evoke a sense of optimism that runs through Iñárritu’s film in spite of the pain he also chronicles. Late Winter through Summer.

The Sculptural World of Carol Bove

The Guggenheim will give the multidisciplinary sculptor creator a major career survey, beginning with her initial pieces and moving through to a new collection of works fashioned from found metal and industrial materials. Drawing from “the 60s” and minimalism, Bove frequently takes her materials directly from the urban landscape, producing fascinating and strange sculptures that have appeared in some of the country’s most notable venues. Having had significant exhibitions in Museum of Modern Art and the Palais de Tokyo, Bove’s three decades of work are ready for a thorough survey. Early Spring to Summer.

Matisse’s Jazz: Rhythms in Color

Those familiar with the book *The Body Keeps the Score* will be familiar with French master Henri Matisse’s papercut *Icarus* – this is in fact one of 20 paper compositions that he paired with text and bound into a book titled *Jazz* in 1947. In the coming season, Chicago’s Art Institute exhibits the complete set of Matisse’s preparatory models – the first such showing since the museum acquired the works in 1948 – plus some 50 additional pieces by the artist. The cut paper works represented a late stage flowering for Matisse. 7 March-1 June.

Raphael: Master of the Renaissance

Italian master artist Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino stood alongside Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo as the renowned titans of the Italian Renaissance – yet he has rarely received a major show on US soil. New York’s Metropolitan Museum seeks to change that with this massive exhibition. Raphael is well-known for masterpieces like his *Sistine Madonna* and *The School of Athens*. With loans from throughout Europe and more than 200 works total, this is poised as a major event. 29 March–28 June.

Shu Lea Cheang's *Lover Love*: An Interactive Vision

NYC’s queer art museum will host a significant and immersive video installation by transmedia artist and director Shu Lea Cheang, a major figure in new media art. As with most of her work, Cheang in this piece investigates the everyday realities of trans life. The installation promises to be a highly interactive experience, with audience members invited to interact with the four moveable screens that show the core footage. 2 April–January 2027.

Leilah Babirye

A Boston contemporary art center showcases recent creations from this artist, who was forced to flee her home country of Uganda after being outed as a lesbian in 2015. Babirye is known for deconstructing unconventional materials to make intricate, LGBTQ+-themed sculptures. The show highlights recent pieces based on the concept of queer weddings. It extends her longstanding practice of employing reclaimed materials as a symbolic act of resistance. Late Summer 2026 into early 2027.

Taking Back Our Space

Building on the foundational research of west German feminist photographer Marianne Wex, who analyzed how men and women are socialized to inhabit space differently, this show examines how non-verbal communication shapes unconscious interaction. Wex’s research included art dating back to 2000 BC. Here, Wex’s findings are both exhibited and juxtaposed with the work of contemporary diverse artists. 20 September–Spring 2027.

Additional Highlights for 2026

Early in the year, a Pacific Northwest institution celebrates the evocative silhouette art of Samantha Yun Wall. Starting 5 March, a prominent gallery is featuring the work of rising artist an innovative creator. During the summer, an Arkansas museum reexamines iconic pop artist Keith Haring through a show of his three-dimensional works. In September, the Detroit Institute of Arts presents a selection of the artist's architectural studies. Simultaneously, the Phoenix Art Museum displays the colorful work of South Korean painter Kim Chong Hak.