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Spanning old masters and contemporary icons, modern visionaries alongside a major Latin American director, art museums and institutions across the US have some dazzling exhibitions on the horizon for 2026.

The Pop Art of Roy Lichtenstein

Announced all the way back during 2023, and currently merely a mostly empty page on a major museum's online schedule, this major retrospective of a pioneering figures of the Pop Art era comes with significant anticipation. The museum will be drawing on its long-held holdings of nearly 500 pieces from Lichtenstein, as well as, one would imagine, dozens borrowed works from institutions around the world. TBD 2026.

Drawn to Venice and Monet and Venice

San Francisco sister institutions, the Legion of Honor and deYoung, will be centering the Floating City through two linked exhibitions: the former museum will offer a exploration of the city as an engine of high art throughout the centuries, and the latter will focus on what the Impressionist Claude Monet thought of the romantic city of canals. The artist was daunted by the challenge of depicting Venice – a theme that had captivated the world’s most esteemed artists for hundreds of years – but he eventually rose to the task, producing approximately 37 canvases, among them the masterpiece *The Grand Canal*. Winter through Summer and Spring into Summer.

Sueño Perro: a film installation by Alejandro G Iñárritu

Celebrating the quarter-century of his groundbreaking first feature, *Amores Perros*, filmmaker Alejandro G Iñárritu revisits over a million feet of footage that was left out of the released movie, creating an immersive experience that doubles as a homage to film. Accounts suggest the director 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 exhibit will evoke some of the hope that pervades Iñárritu’s film in spite of the pain he also chronicles. 22 February-26 July.

Carol Bove

A major New York museum is dedicating the mixed media sculpture and installation creator a major career survey, starting with her initial pieces and progressing all the way up to a fresh collection of works fashioned from scrap metal and steel tubing. Drawing from “the 1960s” and Minimalist art, Bove often takes her components directly from the urban landscape, creating fascinating and strange sculptures that have appeared in some of the country’s most notable art spots. Having had major shows in Museum of Modern Art and a Parisian institution, her thirty years of creation are ripe for a in-depth survey. Early Spring to Summer.

Henri Matisse's *Jazz*: A Symphony of Cut Paper

Those who know a certain publication *The Body Keeps the Score* will be familiar with French master Henri Matisse’s papercut *Icarus* – it’s in fact one of 20 cut-paper works that he combined with text and published as a book titled *Jazz* in 1947. In the coming season, Chicago’s Art Institute will display the complete set of Matisse’s cut-paper maquettes – an unprecedented exhibition after the museum obtained the works in 1948 – plus around 50 additional pieces by the artist. The cut paper works were part of a prolific final chapter for Matisse. March through early Summer.

Raphael: Master of the Renaissance

The great painter and architect Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino stood alongside Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo as the renowned titans of the Italian Renaissance – yet he has seldom received a large-scale exhibition on US soil. A premier East Coast institution seeks to change that with this landmark show. Raphael is well-known for masterpieces like his *Sistine Madonna* and *The School of Athens*. With works from all across Europe and over 200 works total, this is poised as a major event. Late March through June.

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

NYC’s queer art museum presents a major, large-scale film-based work by Taiwanese-American artist and film-maker Shu Lea Cheang, a major figure in digital art. In keeping with much of her work, Cheang in this piece investigates the everyday realities of trans life. The installation promises to be a very engaging piece, with audience members invited to interact with the multiple movable screens that display the central film. Spring 2026 through early 2027.

Leilah Babirye

The Institute of Contemporary Art Boston showcases recent creations from this artist, who was forced to flee her home country of Uganda when her identity was revealed as a lesbian in 2015. Babirye is recognized for transforming discarded objects to make intricate, LGBTQ+-themed assemblages. The show showcases new work based on the theme of queer weddings. This continues her ongoing project of employing found items as a meaningful gesture of resistance. 27 August–18 January 2027.

Taking Back Our Space

Expanding upon the foundational research of German feminist photographer Marianne Wex, who studied how genders are socialized to use physical space differently, this exhibition examines how body language shapes unconscious interaction. Wex’s studies included art dating back to ancient sculptures. In this presentation, Wex’s findings are displayed and put into conversation with the work of contemporary diverse artists. Fall 2026 into 2027.

Additional Highlights for 2026

In February, the Seattle Art Museum showcases the evocative shadow-based work of an emerging artist. Beginning 5 March, an art gallery is featuring the work of rising Black artist Kwamé Azure Gomez. In the summer months, the Crystal Bridges Museum reexamines iconic pop artist Keith Haring with a show of his sculptural works. In September, the Detroit Institute of Arts presents a selection of the artist's architecture paintings. Simultaneously, the Phoenix Art Museum exhibits the colorful work of artist Kim Chong Hak.