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From Renaissance masters to pop artists, contemporary greats and even a major Latin American director, galleries and institutions across the United States are preparing a series of spectacular exhibitions on the horizon in 2026.

Roy Lichtenstein

First revealed all the way back during 2023, and currently just a placeholder listing at a major museum's online schedule, this expansive survey of a central creators of the pop art movement comes with significant expectations. The museum will be drawing on its long-held collection of close to 500 works from Lichtenstein, as well as, one would imagine, numerous borrowed works from institutions globally. Dates to be announced 2026.

Venetian Visions: From Old Masters to Monet

San Francisco sister institutions, the Legion of Honor along with deYoung, will be centering Venice through two linked exhibitions: one location will offer a celebration of the city as a source of high art for hundreds of years, and the latter will focus on what the Impressionist Claude Monet thought of the enchanting city of canals. The artist was daunted by the prospect of painting Venice – a theme that had inspired the world’s most esteemed artists for hundreds of years – but he eventually rose to the task, producing some 37 paintings, including the masterpiece *The Grand Canal*. Winter through Summer and Spring into Summer.

Sueño Perro: a film installation by Alejandro G Iñárritu

Celebrating the 25th anniversary of his massive first feature, *Amores Perros*, filmmaker Alejandro G Iñárritu returns to more than a million feet of film that never made it of the released movie, crafting an art installation that also serves as a homage to film. Reportedly Iñárritu delved into the archives to create what he called “not a tribute, but a resurrection” of a cherished films. Perhaps the exhibit will instil a sense of optimism that runs through Iñárritu’s film in spite of the hardship he simultaneously documents. 22 February-26 July.

Carol Bove

A major New York museum is dedicating the mixed media sculpture and installation artist a comprehensive retrospective, starting with her initial pieces and moving all the way up to a fresh series of works made from found metal and industrial materials. Inspired by “the 60s” and minimalism, Bove often sources her components straight from the city environment, creating intriguing and unusual sculptures that have appeared in some of the country’s most notable venues. Having had major shows in the MoMA and a Parisian institution, Bove’s three decades of work are ready for a thorough survey. Early Spring to Summer.

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

Those familiar with a certain publication *The Body Keeps the Score* may recognize French master Henri Matisse’s cut-out *Icarus* – it’s in fact one of 20 cut-paper works that he combined with text and bound into a book titled *Jazz* in 1947. In the coming season, a Midwestern museum will display all 20 of Matisse’s preparatory models – an unprecedented exhibition since the museum obtained the works in 1948 – plus around 50 additional pieces by the artist. The cut paper works represented a prolific final chapter for Matisse. March through early Summer.

Raphael: Sublime Poetry

The great painter and architect Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino is ranked with Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo as the renowned masters of the Italian Renaissance – yet he has seldom been honored with 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*. Featuring loans from all across Europe and over 200 works total, this promises to be a major event. Late March through June.

Shu Lea Cheang: Lover Love

A New York Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art presents a significant and immersive film-based work by Taiwanese-American artist and director Shu Lea Cheang, a major figure in digital art. As with most of her work, Cheang in this piece explores the daily struggles of transgender existence. The installation is designed as a very engaging piece, with audience members encouraged to play around with the multiple movable screens that display the core footage. Spring 2026 through early 2027.

Leilah Babirye: Reclamation and Defiance

The Institute of Contemporary Art Boston will feature recent creations from this artist, who was compelled to leave her native Uganda after being outed as a lesbian in 2015. Babirye is known for deconstructing unconventional materials to make elaborate, queer-themed assemblages. The show highlights new work based on the theme of queer weddings. This continues her ongoing project of using found items as a symbolic act of defiance. 27 August–18 January 2027.

Taking Back Our Space: Body Language and Power

Building on the foundational research of German feminist photographer Marianne Wex, who studied how genders are socialized to use physical space differently, this exhibition investigates how body language shapes unconscious interaction. Wex’s studies included art as old as ancient sculptures. In this presentation, Wex’s explorations are displayed and put into conversation with the work of contemporary diverse artists. 20 September–Spring 2027.

Additional Highlights for 2026

Early in the year, the Seattle Art Museum showcases the evocative silhouette art of an emerging artist. Beginning 5 March, a prominent gallery is featuring the work of rising Black artist an innovative creator. In the summer months, an Arkansas museum reexamines iconic pop artist Keith Haring with a show of his three-dimensional works. In September, a Michigan museum presents a selection of the artist's architectural studies. Simultaneously, an Arizona venue displays the colorful work of South Korean painter Kim Chong Hak.