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From Renaissance masters and contemporary icons, modern visionaries and even a major Mexican film-maker, art museums as well as galleries throughout the United States have a series of spectacular exhibitions coming up in 2026.

Roy Lichtenstein

First revealed several years ago in 2023, now just 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 plans to utilize its long-held holdings of nearly 500 works by Lichtenstein, in addition to, one would imagine, numerous loans from collections globally. Dates to be announced 2026.

Venetian Visions: From Old Masters to Monet

Bay Area partner museums, the Legion of Honor and another, will focus on Venice with two linked exhibitions: the former museum will offer a celebration of the city as an engine of artistic inspiration throughout the centuries, and the latter zooms in on what impressionist Claude Monet thought of the enchanting city of canals. Monet himself felt intimidated by the prospect of painting Venice – a subject that had inspired the most revered artists for centuries – but he eventually rose to the task, creating approximately 37 paintings, among them the masterpiece *The Grand Canal*. 6 January-2 August and 21 March-26 July.

Alejandro G Iñárritu's *Sueño Perro*: A Cinematic Resurrection

Celebrating the 25th anniversary of his groundbreaking first feature, *Amores Perros*, director Alejandro G Iñárritu returns to more than a million feet of footage that never made it of the released movie, creating an immersive experience that doubles as a love letter to celluloid. Accounts suggest Iñárritu delved into the vaults to create what he called “not a tribute, but a resurrection” of one of his most beloved films. It's possible the installation will instil some of the hope that runs through Iñárritu’s film despite the pain he also chronicles. Late Winter through Summer.

Carol Bove

The Guggenheim will give the mixed media sculptor creator a comprehensive retrospective, beginning with her initial pieces and progressing all the way up to a fresh series of pieces fashioned from scrap metal and steel tubing. Drawing from “the 1960s” and Minimalist art, 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 at the MoMA and the Palais de Tokyo, her thirty years of creation are ready for a thorough overview. Early Spring to Summer.

Matisse’s Jazz: Rhythms in Color

Anyone familiar with the book *The Body Keeps the Score* may recognize French master Henri Matisse’s papercut *Icarus* – this is actually one of 20 paper compositions that he combined with text and bound into a book titled *Jazz* in 1947. This spring, a Midwestern museum exhibits all 20 of Matisse’s preparatory models – the first such showing since the museum acquired the works in 1948 – as well as around 50 additional pieces by the artist. These creations represented a prolific final chapter 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 renowned masters of the Italian Renaissance – 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 well-known for iconic works like his *Sistine Madonna* and *The School of Athens*. With loans from throughout Europe and more than 200 works total, this is poised as a major event. Late March through June.

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

NYC’s Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art will host a major, large-scale film-based work by transmedia artist and film-maker Shu Lea Cheang, a prominent voice in digital art. In keeping with much of her work, Cheang in this piece investigates the everyday realities of trans life. Lover Love promises to be a very engaging piece, with visitors invited to play around with the multiple movable screens that display the core footage. Spring 2026 through early 2027.

Leilah Babirye

A Boston contemporary art center will feature recent creations 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 known for transforming discarded objects to make intricate, queer-themed assemblages. This exhibition showcases recent pieces based on the concept of same-sex marriage. It extends her ongoing project of employing found items as a meaningful gesture 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 conditioned to use physical space differently, this show investigates how non-verbal communication influences unconscious interaction. Wex’s research spanned art dating back to 2000 BC. In this presentation, Wex’s findings 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 haunting silhouette art of Samantha Yun Wall. Beginning 5 March, a prominent gallery is highlighting the work of rising artist Kwamé Azure Gomez. During the summer, an Arkansas museum revisits 80s graffiti artist Keith Haring through a show of his three-dimensional works. Come fall, the Detroit Institute of Arts will show a collection of the artist's architecture paintings. Simultaneously, an Arizona venue displays the vibrant work of South Korean painter Kim Chong Hak.