🔗 Share this article

Spanning Renaissance masters and pop artists, contemporary greats alongside a renowned Latin American director, galleries and institutions throughout the US have a series of spectacular exhibitions on the horizon in 2026.

Roy Lichtenstein

Announced all the way back during 2023, and currently just a placeholder listing at a major museum's website, this expansive survey of a central creators of the Pop Art era comes with significant expectations. The museum will be drawing on its decades-old collection of close to 500 works from Lichtenstein, as well as, one would imagine, numerous borrowed works from collections globally. TBD 2026.

Venetian Visions: From Old Masters to Monet

San Francisco sister institutions, one prestigious venue and deYoung, will be centering the Floating City through two interconnected exhibitions: one location will offer a exploration of the city as an engine of artistic inspiration throughout the centuries, while the other will focus on what impressionist Claude Monet made of the enchanting city of canals. The artist was daunted by the challenge of depicting Venice – a subject that had captivated the most revered artists for hundreds of years – yet he ultimately met the challenge, creating some 37 canvases, among them the renowned work *The Grand Canal*. 6 January-2 August and 21 March-26 July.

Sueño Perro: a film installation by Alejandro G Iñárritu

Marking the 25th anniversary of his groundbreaking debut film, *Amores Perros*, filmmaker Alejandro G Iñárritu returns to more than a million feet of footage that never made it into the final cut, creating an art installation that doubles as a love letter to celluloid. Reportedly Iñárritu dug deep into the vaults to create what he described as “a rebirth, not merely a tribute” of a cherished films. It's possible the installation will evoke a sense of optimism that pervades Iñárritu’s film in spite of the hardship he simultaneously documents. Late Winter through Summer.

Carol Bove

A major New York museum is dedicating the multidisciplinary sculptor creator a major career survey, starting with her initial pieces and progressing all the way up to a new collection of works made from scrap metal and steel tubing. Inspired by “the 60s” and Minimalist art, Bove frequently sources her components directly from the city environment, creating fascinating and strange sculptures that have been displayed in prestigious art spots. Having had major shows at Museum of Modern Art and a Parisian institution, Bove’s three decades of creation are ripe for a thorough survey. 5 March–2 August.

Matisse’s Jazz: Rhythms in Color

Anyone who know a certain publication *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 combined with text and published as a book titled *Jazz* in 1947. In the coming season, Chicago’s Art Institute exhibits all 20 of Matisse’s cut-paper maquettes – the first such showing since the museum acquired the works in 1948 – plus around 50 of Matisse’s other works. These creations were part of a prolific final chapter for Matisse. March through early Summer.

Raphael: Master of the Renaissance

Italian master artist Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino stood alongside Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo as the renowned titans of Renaissance Italy – but he has seldom been honored with a large-scale exhibition on US soil. New York’s Metropolitan Museum seeks to change that with this massive exhibition. Raphael is well-known for iconic works like his *Sistine Madonna* and *The School of Athens*. With loans from throughout Europe and more than 200 works in all, this promises to be a major event. Late March through June.

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

NYC’s queer art museum will host a significant and immersive film-based work by transmedia artist and film-maker Shu Lea Cheang, a prominent voice in digital art. In keeping with much of her work, Cheang in this piece investigates the everyday realities of transgender existence. The installation is designed as a highly interactive piece, with visitors encouraged to play around with the four moveable screens that display the central film. 2 April–January 2027.

Leilah Babirye

The Institute of Contemporary Art Boston showcases recent creations from this artist, who was forced to flee her native Uganda after being outed as a lesbian in 2015. Babirye is known for transforming discarded objects to make intricate, queer-themed sculptures. This exhibition highlights recent pieces based on the concept of same-sex marriage. It extends her longstanding practice of using found items as a symbolic act of defiance. 27 August–18 January 2027.

Taking Back Our Space: Body Language and Power

Building on the foundational research of German feminist photographer Marianne Wex, who studied how genders are socialized to use physical space differently, this show investigates how non-verbal communication influences unconscious interaction. Wex’s studies spanned art as old as ancient sculptures. Here, Wex’s findings are both exhibited and put into conversation with the work of contemporary Black, queer, and feminist artists. 20 September–Spring 2027.

Additional Highlights for 2026

In February, the Seattle Art Museum showcases the haunting shadow-based work of Samantha Yun Wall. Beginning 5 March, an art gallery is highlighting the work of rising Black artist Kwamé Azure Gomez. During the summer, the Crystal Bridges Museum revisits iconic pop artist Keith Haring with a show of his sculptural works. In September, the Detroit Institute of Arts presents a selection of Georgia O’Keefe’s architecture paintings. And also in September, the Phoenix Art Museum displays the vibrant work of artist Kim Chong Hak.