🔗 Share this article

From Renaissance masters and contemporary icons, modern visionaries and even a renowned Latin American film-maker, art museums and galleries across the US are preparing some dazzling shows coming up for 2026.

Roy Lichtenstein

Announced all the way back in 2023, now merely a placeholder listing at The Whitney’s website, this expansive survey of a central creators of the pop art movement comes with significant expectations. The institution will be drawing on its decades-old collection of close to 500 pieces by Lichtenstein, in addition to, presumably, numerous borrowed works from institutions globally. Dates to be announced 2026.

Venetian Visions: From Old Masters to Monet

Bay Area partner museums, the Legion of Honor and deYoung, will focus on the Floating City through two interconnected shows: the former museum presents a celebration of the city as an engine of artistic inspiration throughout the centuries, while the other will focus on what the Impressionist Claude Monet thought of the enchanting 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 centuries – but he eventually rose to the task, creating some 37 canvases, 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 debut film, *Amores Perros*, director Alejandro G Iñárritu revisits over a million feet of film that was left out into the final cut, creating an art installation that doubles as a love letter to film. Reportedly the director delved into the vaults to create what he described as “a rebirth, not merely a tribute” of one of his most beloved films. Perhaps 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.

The Sculptural World of Carol Bove

A major New York museum will give the mixed media sculpture and installation creator a comprehensive retrospective, beginning with her initial pieces and progressing through to a new series of pieces fashioned from found metal and industrial materials. Drawing from “the 60s” and minimalism, Bove often takes her components directly from the city environment, producing fascinating and strange sculptures that have appeared in some of the country’s most notable art spots. 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. 5 March–2 August.

Matisse’s Jazz: Rhythms in Color

Anyone who know the book *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. This spring, a Midwestern museum will display all 20 of Matisse’s preparatory models – the first such showing after the museum obtained the works in 1948 – plus around 50 additional pieces by the artist. The cut paper works were part of a late stage flowering for Matisse. 7 March-1 June.

Raphael: Sublime Poetry

The great artist Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino stood alongside Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo as the celebrated titans of Renaissance Italy – yet he has seldom received a large-scale exhibition on US soil. New York’s Metropolitan Museum aims to rectify that with this massive exhibition. Raphael is well-known for iconic works like his *Sistine Madonna* and *The School of Athens*. With works 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 major, large-scale film-based work by Taiwanese-American artist and film-maker 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 transgender existence. Lover Love is designed as a very engaging experience, with audience members encouraged to play around with the four moveable screens that show the core footage. Spring 2026 through early 2027.

Leilah Babirye: Reclamation and Defiance

The Institute of Contemporary Art Boston showcases new work from this artist, who was compelled to leave her home country of Uganda when her identity was revealed as a lesbian in 2015. Babirye is recognized for transforming unconventional materials to make elaborate, queer-themed assemblages. This exhibition showcases new work based on the concept of queer weddings. This continues her longstanding practice of using found items as a symbolic act of resistance. 27 August–18 January 2027.

Taking Back Our Space: Body Language and Power

Expanding upon the foundational research of German feminist photographer Marianne Wex, who analyzed how genders are conditioned to use physical space differently, this exhibition investigates how non-verbal communication influences unspoken interaction. Wex’s research included art dating back to ancient sculptures. Here, Wex’s explorations are both exhibited and put into conversation with the work of modern Black, queer, and feminist artists. 20 September–Spring 2027.

Additional Highlights for 2026

Early in the year, the Seattle Art Museum showcases the evocative shadow-based work of an emerging artist. Starting 5 March, an art gallery is featuring the work of up and coming Black artist Kwamé Azure Gomez. In the summer months, an Arkansas museum reexamines 80s graffiti artist Keith Haring with a show of his three-dimensional works. Come fall, a Michigan museum will show 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.