🔗 Share this article

From old masters to pop artists, modern visionaries and even a major Latin American film-maker, galleries and galleries throughout the United States are preparing a series of dazzling exhibitions coming up for 2026.

The Pop Art of Roy Lichtenstein

First revealed all the way back in 2023, and currently merely a placeholder listing on a major museum's website, this expansive survey of one of the central creators of the pop art movement comes with some pretty heavy expectations. The museum plans to utilize its decades-old holdings of close to 500 pieces from Lichtenstein, in addition to, one would imagine, dozens borrowed works from institutions globally. TBD 2026.

Drawn to Venice and Monet and Venice

San Francisco partner museums, the Legion of Honor and another, will focus on Venice through two interconnected exhibitions: the former museum presents a celebration of the city as an engine of artistic inspiration throughout the centuries, and the latter will focus on what impressionist Claude Monet made of the romantic city of canals. Monet himself felt intimidated by the challenge of depicting Venice – a theme that had captivated the world’s most esteemed artists for hundreds of years – yet he ultimately rose to the task, producing approximately 37 paintings, including the renowned work *The Grand Canal*. 6 January-2 August and Spring into Summer.

Sueño Perro: a film installation by Alejandro G Iñárritu

Marking the 25th anniversary of his groundbreaking debut film, *Amores Perros*, director Alejandro G Iñárritu revisits more than a million feet of footage that was left out into the released movie, crafting an art installation that also serves as a homage to film. Reportedly the director dug deep into the archives to create what he called “a rebirth, not merely a tribute” of a cherished films. It's possible the installation will instil some of the hope that runs through Iñárritu’s film in spite of the hardship he also chronicles. Late Winter through Summer.

Carol Bove

The Guggenheim will give the mixed media sculptor artist a major career survey, beginning with her initial pieces and progressing all the way up to a fresh series of works made from scrap metal and steel tubing. Inspired by “the 1960s” and minimalism, Bove often takes her components directly from the city environment, producing intriguing and unusual sculptures that have been displayed in some of the country’s most notable art spots. With significant exhibitions at the MoMA and a Parisian institution, her three decades of work are ready for a in-depth overview. Early Spring to Summer.

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 cut-out *Icarus* – it’s in fact one of 20 cut-paper works that he paired with text and bound into a volume 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 obtained the works in 1948 – as well as some 50 additional pieces by the artist. The cut paper works represented a prolific final chapter for Matisse. March through early Summer.

Raphael: Sublime Poetry

Italian master artist Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino is ranked with Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo as the renowned titans of Renaissance Italy – but he has rarely been honored with a major show on US soil. A premier East Coast institution seeks to change that with this massive exhibition. Raphael is famous for masterpieces like his *Sistine Madonna* and *The School of Athens*. With loans from all across Europe and over 200 works total, this promises to be a blockbuster show. 29 March–28 June.

Shu Lea Cheang: Lover Love

A New York Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art will host a major, large-scale film-based work by Taiwanese-American artist and film-maker Shu Lea Cheang, a major figure in digital art. As with most of her work, Cheang here investigates the everyday realities of trans life. The installation promises to be a highly interactive piece, with audience members invited to play around with the multiple movable screens that show the core footage. 2 April–January 2027.

Leilah Babirye: Reclamation and Defiance

The Institute of Contemporary Art Boston will feature new work from this artist, who was compelled to leave her native Uganda after being outed as a lesbian in 2015. Babirye is recognized for transforming discarded objects to make elaborate, queer-themed sculptures. This exhibition highlights new work based on the concept of same-sex marriage. This continues her longstanding practice of employing found items as a symbolic act of defiance. 27 August–18 January 2027.

Taking Back Our Space: Body Language and Power

Building on the pioneering work of German feminist photographer Marianne Wex, who studied how genders are socialized to inhabit space differently, this exhibition investigates how body language shapes unconscious interaction. Wex’s studies spanned art dating back to 2000 BC. Here, Wex’s explorations are both exhibited and juxtaposed with the work of contemporary Black, queer, and feminist artists. Fall 2026 into 2027.

And more …

Early in the year, a Pacific Northwest institution showcases the haunting silhouette art of Samantha Yun Wall. Starting 5 March, an art gallery is featuring the work of up and coming Black artist Kwamé Azure Gomez. In the summer months, the Crystal Bridges Museum revisits 80s graffiti artist Keith Haring with a show of his sculptural works. Come fall, a Michigan museum will show a selection of the artist's architecture paintings. And also in September, an Arizona venue exhibits the colorful work of South Korean painter Kim Chong Hak.