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From Renaissance masters and pop artists, modern visionaries and even a renowned Latin American director, art museums as well as galleries across the US are preparing some dazzling shows on the horizon in 2026.

Roy Lichtenstein

Announced several years ago during 2023, and currently just a mostly empty page at a major museum's website, this major retrospective of one of the central creators of the pop art movement carries significant expectations. The institution plans to utilize its decades-old holdings of nearly 500 pieces by Lichtenstein, as well as, presumably, numerous borrowed works from collections globally. TBD 2026.

Drawn to Venice and Monet and Venice

San Francisco sister institutions, the Legion of Honor along with another, will focus on Venice with two linked shows: one location presents a celebration of the city as a source of high art for hundreds of years, and the latter zooms in on what the Impressionist Claude Monet made of the romantic city of canals. Monet himself was daunted 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 paintings, including the renowned work *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 massive first feature, *Amores Perros*, director Alejandro G Iñárritu returns to over a million feet of film that never made it into the final cut, creating an art installation that also serves as a love letter to film. Accounts suggest Iñárritu dug deep into the vaults to create what he described as “a rebirth, not merely a tribute” of one of his most beloved films. It's possible the installation will instil a sense of optimism that runs through Iñárritu’s film despite the hardship he simultaneously documents. Late Winter through Summer.

Carol Bove

The Guggenheim is dedicating the multidisciplinary sculptor artist a comprehensive retrospective, starting with her early works and progressing through to a fresh collection of works made from found metal and steel tubing. Inspired by “the 60s” and Minimalist art, Bove frequently sources her components directly from the city environment, producing intriguing and unusual sculptures that have been displayed in prestigious venues. With significant exhibitions at Museum of Modern Art and the Palais de Tokyo, her three decades of creation are ripe for a in-depth survey. Early Spring to Summer.

Matisse’s Jazz: Rhythms in Color

Anyone familiar with a certain publication *The Body Keeps the Score* will be familiar with 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. In the coming season, a Midwestern museum exhibits all 20 of Matisse’s cut-paper maquettes – the first such showing after the museum obtained the works in 1948 – plus around 50 additional pieces by the artist. These creations were part of a prolific final chapter for Matisse. 7 March-1 June.

Raphael: Sublime Poetry

Italian master painter and architect Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino is ranked with Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo as the celebrated titans of Renaissance Italy – but 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 famous for masterpieces like his *Sistine Madonna* and *The School of Athens*. With works from throughout Europe and more than 200 works in all, this is poised as a blockbuster show. 29 March–28 June.

Shu Lea Cheang: Lover Love

NYC’s Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art will host a significant and immersive film-based work by Taiwanese-American artist and film-maker Shu Lea Cheang, a prominent voice in digital art. As with much of her work, Cheang here investigates the daily struggles of transgender existence. Lover Love is designed as a very engaging experience, with visitors invited to interact with the multiple movable screens that display the core footage. Spring 2026 through early 2027.

Leilah Babirye

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, LGBTQ+-themed sculptures. The show showcases recent pieces based on the theme of queer weddings. This continues her longstanding practice of using reclaimed materials as a meaningful gesture of defiance. 27 August–18 January 2027.

Taking Back Our Space

Building on the pioneering work of German feminist photographer Marianne Wex, who analyzed how genders are conditioned to use physical space differently, this exhibition investigates how body language shapes unconscious interaction. Wex’s research included art as old as ancient sculptures. In this presentation, Wex’s explorations are displayed and juxtaposed with the work of modern Black, queer, and feminist artists. Fall 2026 into 2027.

Additional Highlights for 2026

Early in the year, a Pacific Northwest institution showcases the evocative shadow-based work of an emerging artist. Beginning 5 March, an art gallery is featuring the work of up and coming artist an innovative creator. During the summer, an Arkansas museum revisits 80s graffiti artist Keith Haring through a show of his sculptural works. Come fall, the Detroit Institute of Arts will show a selection of Georgia O’Keefe’s architecture paintings. And also in September, the Phoenix Art Museum displays the colorful work of artist Kim Chong Hak.