🔗 Share this article

Spanning Renaissance masters and contemporary icons, modern visionaries and even a major Mexican director, art museums as well as galleries throughout the US have a series of spectacular exhibitions coming up in 2026.

The Pop Art of Roy Lichtenstein

Announced all the way back during 2023, now just a placeholder listing at The Whitney’s online schedule, this major retrospective of a central creators of the Pop Art era carries some pretty heavy expectations. The museum will be drawing on its decades-old collection of nearly 500 works by Lichtenstein, as well as, one would imagine, numerous loans from institutions around the world. Dates to be announced 2026.

Drawn to Venice and Monet and Venice

San Francisco sister institutions, the Legion of Honor along with another, will focus on Venice through two interconnected shows: the former museum presents a exploration of the city as a source of artistic inspiration for hundreds of years, and the latter will focus on what the Impressionist Claude Monet made of the enchanting city of canals. The artist was daunted by the challenge of depicting Venice – a theme that had inspired the world’s most esteemed artists for centuries – but he eventually met the challenge, producing approximately 37 paintings, including the renowned work *The Grand Canal*. Winter through Summer and 21 March-26 July.

Alejandro G Iñárritu's *Sueño Perro*: A Cinematic Resurrection

Marking the quarter-century of his groundbreaking first feature, *Amores Perros*, filmmaker Alejandro G Iñárritu revisits over a million feet of film that never made it into the final cut, creating an immersive experience that also serves as a love letter to film. Reportedly Iñárritu dug deep into the vaults to create what he described as “not a tribute, but a resurrection” of a cherished films. It's possible the exhibit will evoke some of the hope that pervades Iñárritu’s film despite the hardship he also chronicles. 22 February-26 July.

The Sculptural World of Carol Bove

A major New York museum will give the multidisciplinary sculpture and installation artist a comprehensive retrospective, starting with her initial pieces and moving all the way up to a new series of works fashioned from scrap metal and steel tubing. Inspired by “the 60s” and Minimalist art, Bove often takes her components straight from the city environment, producing intriguing and unusual constructions that have appeared in some of the country’s most notable art spots. Having had significant exhibitions in Museum of Modern Art and a Parisian institution, Bove’s three decades of work are ready for a in-depth overview. 5 March–2 August.

Matisse’s Jazz: Rhythms in Color

Anyone who know a certain publication *The Body Keeps the Score* may recognize French master Henri Matisse’s cut-out *Icarus* – it’s actually one of 20 paper compositions that he combined with text and published as a book titled *Jazz* in 1947. In the coming season, a Midwestern museum exhibits the complete set of Matisse’s cut-paper maquettes – an unprecedented exhibition after the museum obtained the works in 1948 – as well as around 50 additional pieces by the artist. These creations were part of a prolific final chapter for Matisse. 7 March-1 June.

Raphael: Master of the Renaissance

Italian master artist Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino is ranked with Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo as the celebrated masters of Renaissance Italy – but he has seldom been honored with a major show on American soil. A premier East Coast institution aims to rectify that with this landmark show. Raphael is famous for iconic works like his *Sistine Madonna* and *The School of Athens*. Featuring loans from throughout Europe and more than 200 works total, this promises to be a major event. 29 March–28 June.

Shu Lea Cheang: Lover Love

A New York Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art will host a major, large-scale video installation by transmedia artist and film-maker Shu Lea Cheang, a major figure in new media art. In keeping with most of her work, Cheang here investigates the daily struggles of transgender existence. Lover Love promises to be a very engaging piece, with visitors encouraged to interact with the multiple movable screens that display the central film. 2 April–January 2027.

Leilah Babirye

The Institute of Contemporary Art Boston showcases new work from this artist, who was forced to flee her native Uganda when her identity was revealed as a lesbian in 2015. Babirye is recognized for deconstructing discarded objects to make intricate, LGBTQ+-themed assemblages. The show highlights new work based on the theme of same-sex marriage. 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 pioneering work of west German feminist photographer Marianne Wex, who studied how genders are conditioned to inhabit space differently, this show investigates how body language influences unconscious interaction. Wex’s research spanned art as old as 2000 BC. Here, Wex’s explorations are both exhibited and juxtaposed with the work of modern Black, queer, and feminist artists. 20 September–Spring 2027.

And more …

In February, the Seattle Art Museum showcases the haunting shadow-based work of an emerging artist. Starting 5 March, an art gallery is featuring the work of rising artist an innovative creator. In the summer months, an Arkansas museum reexamines iconic pop artist Keith Haring through a show of his three-dimensional works. Come fall, a Michigan museum will show a collection of Georgia O’Keefe’s architecture paintings. And also in September, the Phoenix Art Museum exhibits the vibrant work of artist Kim Chong Hak.