🔗 Share this article

From old masters to contemporary icons, contemporary greats alongside a major Mexican director, art museums and galleries throughout the US are preparing some spectacular exhibitions on the horizon in 2026.

The Pop Art of Roy Lichtenstein

First revealed all the way back during 2023, now merely a placeholder listing on The Whitney’s online schedule, this major retrospective of one of the pioneering figures of the pop art movement carries significant expectations. The museum plans to utilize its decades-old holdings of close to 500 pieces by Lichtenstein, in addition to, one would imagine, numerous borrowed works from institutions globally. TBD 2026.

Drawn to Venice and Monet and Venice

Bay Area partner museums, one prestigious venue along with deYoung, will be centering the Floating City with two interconnected exhibitions: one location presents a celebration of the city as an engine of high art for hundreds of years, while the other zooms in on what impressionist Claude Monet thought of the romantic city of canals. Monet himself felt intimidated by the challenge of painting Venice – a subject that had inspired the world’s most esteemed artists for hundreds of years – but he eventually rose to the task, creating some 37 canvases, including the masterpiece *The Grand Canal*. Winter through Summer and 21 March-26 July.

Sueño Perro: a film installation by Alejandro G Iñárritu

Marking the 25th anniversary of his massive first feature, *Amores Perros*, filmmaker Alejandro G Iñárritu returns to over a million feet of film that was left out of the released movie, creating an art installation that also serves as a love letter to film. Accounts suggest Iñárritu delved into the archives to create what he called “not a tribute, but a resurrection” of one of his most beloved films. It's possible the installation will evoke a sense of optimism that pervades Iñárritu’s film despite the pain he also chronicles. Late Winter through Summer.

The Sculptural World of Carol Bove

The Guggenheim will give the mixed media sculptor creator a major career survey, starting with her early works and moving all the way up to a fresh collection of works made from scrap metal and industrial materials. Inspired by “the 1960s” and Minimalist art, Bove often sources her components directly from the urban landscape, creating intriguing and unusual sculptures that have been displayed in prestigious venues. With significant exhibitions at the MoMA and a Parisian institution, her thirty years of creation are ripe for a thorough survey. 5 March–2 August.

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

Anyone familiar with the book *The Body Keeps the Score* will be familiar with French master Henri Matisse’s cut-out *Icarus* – this is actually one of 20 cut-paper works that he paired with text and bound into a volume titled *Jazz* in 1947. In the coming season, a Midwestern museum will display all 20 of Matisse’s preparatory models – the first such showing since 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. 7 March-1 June.

Raphael: Master of the Renaissance

Italian master artist Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino stood alongside Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo as the celebrated titans of the Italian Renaissance – yet he has rarely been honored with a large-scale exhibition on American soil. New York’s Metropolitan Museum seeks to change that with this landmark show. Raphael is famous for iconic works like his *Sistine Madonna* and *The School of Athens*. With works from throughout Europe and over 200 works in all, this is poised as a major event. 29 March–28 June.

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

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 much of her work, Cheang here investigates the everyday realities of trans life. The installation promises to be a highly interactive piece, with visitors invited to play around with the four moveable screens that display the core footage. Spring 2026 through early 2027.

Leilah Babirye: Reclamation and Defiance

A Boston contemporary art center showcases new work from this artist, who was forced to flee her native Uganda when her identity was revealed as a lesbian in 2015. Babirye is recognized for transforming discarded objects to make elaborate, LGBTQ+-themed assemblages. The show highlights recent pieces based on the concept of queer weddings. It extends her ongoing project of employing reclaimed materials as a symbolic act of resistance. Late Summer 2026 into early 2027.

Taking Back Our Space: Body Language and Power

Building on the pioneering work of German feminist photographer Marianne Wex, who studied how men and women are socialized to inhabit space differently, this show examines how non-verbal communication influences unconscious interaction. Wex’s research spanned art dating back to 2000 BC. Here, Wex’s explorations are displayed and juxtaposed with the work of modern Black, queer, and feminist artists. Fall 2026 into 2027.

And more …

In February, a Pacific Northwest institution showcases the evocative shadow-based work of Samantha Yun Wall. 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 through a show of his three-dimensional works. Come fall, a Michigan museum will show a collection of the artist's architecture paintings. Simultaneously, the Phoenix Art Museum exhibits the colorful work of artist Kim Chong Hak.