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Spanning Renaissance masters to contemporary icons, modern visionaries and even a renowned Mexican director, art museums as well as institutions throughout the US are preparing a series of dazzling exhibitions coming up for 2026.

Roy Lichtenstein

Announced all the way back during 2023, and currently merely a mostly empty page at a major museum's website, this expansive survey of a central creators of the Pop Art era carries significant expectations. The institution plans to utilize its long-held collection of close to 500 works from Lichtenstein, as well as, one would imagine, dozens loans from collections around the world. Dates to be announced 2026.

Drawn to Venice and Monet and Venice

San Francisco partner museums, one prestigious venue along with another, will focus on the Floating City with two interconnected shows: the former museum presents a exploration of the city as an engine of high art throughout the centuries, while the other will focus on what the Impressionist Claude Monet thought of the romantic city of canals. Monet himself felt intimidated by the prospect of painting Venice – a subject that had inspired the world’s most esteemed artists for centuries – but he eventually met the challenge, producing approximately 37 paintings, including the masterpiece *The Grand Canal*. 6 January-2 August and Spring into Summer.

Sueño Perro: a film installation by Alejandro G Iñárritu

Marking the quarter-century of his massive debut film, *Amores Perros*, filmmaker Alejandro G Iñárritu returns to more than 1m ft of film that never made it of the final cut, creating an immersive experience that also serves as a homage to celluloid. Accounts suggest Iñárritu delved 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 instil some of the hope that pervades Iñárritu’s film in spite of the hardship 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, starting with her initial pieces and moving all the way up to a fresh series of pieces made from scrap metal and industrial materials. Drawing from “the 1960s” and Minimalist art, Bove frequently sources her components directly from the urban landscape, producing fascinating and strange constructions that have appeared in some of the country’s most notable venues. Having had major shows at the MoMA and a Parisian institution, her thirty years of work are ripe for a thorough survey. 5 March–2 August.

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

Anyone who know the book *The Body Keeps the Score* will be familiar with French master Henri Matisse’s papercut *Icarus* – it’s actually one of 20 cut-paper works that he paired with text and bound into a book titled *Jazz* in 1947. In the coming season, a Midwestern museum exhibits all 20 of Matisse’s cut-paper maquettes – the first such showing 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. March through early Summer.

Raphael: Sublime Poetry

The great painter and architect Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino stood alongside Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo as the celebrated titans of the Italian Renaissance – but he has rarely been honored with a major show on American soil. A premier East Coast institution aims to rectify that with this massive exhibition. Raphael is famous for masterpieces like his *Sistine Madonna* and *The School of Athens*. Featuring loans from throughout Europe and over 200 works in all, this promises to be a major event. Late March through June.

Shu Lea Cheang: Lover Love

A New York queer art museum presents a significant and immersive video installation by transmedia artist and director Shu Lea Cheang, a prominent voice in digital art. In keeping with most of her work, Cheang here investigates the everyday realities of transgender existence. Lover Love is designed as a very engaging experience, with visitors encouraged to interact with the four moveable screens that display the central film. 2 April–January 2027.

Leilah Babirye: Reclamation and Defiance

A Boston contemporary art center will feature new work from this artist, who was forced to flee her home country of Uganda after being outed as a lesbian in 2015. Babirye is recognized for transforming unconventional materials to make intricate, LGBTQ+-themed sculptures. This exhibition showcases recent pieces based on the theme of same-sex marriage. It extends her ongoing project of employing reclaimed materials as a meaningful gesture of defiance. 27 August–18 January 2027.

Taking Back Our Space

Expanding upon the foundational research of west German feminist photographer Marianne Wex, who studied how genders are conditioned to inhabit space differently, this exhibition examines how body language influences unspoken interaction. Wex’s studies spanned art dating back to ancient sculptures. Here, Wex’s explorations are displayed and put into conversation with the work of contemporary diverse artists. Fall 2026 into 2027.

Additional Highlights for 2026

In February, a Pacific Northwest institution celebrates the haunting shadow-based work of Samantha Yun Wall. Starting 5 March, a prominent gallery is highlighting the work of rising Black artist Kwamé Azure Gomez. During the summer, an Arkansas museum reexamines 80s graffiti artist Keith Haring with a show of his three-dimensional works. Come fall, the Detroit Institute of Arts presents a selection of Georgia O’Keefe’s architecture paintings. Simultaneously, an Arizona venue displays the colorful work of artist Kim Chong Hak.