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Spanning Renaissance masters to contemporary icons, contemporary greats alongside a renowned Latin American director, galleries and galleries throughout the United States have a series of spectacular shows on the horizon in 2026.

Roy Lichtenstein

Announced several years ago in 2023, now merely a mostly empty page on a major museum's online schedule, this expansive survey of one of the pioneering figures of the pop art movement comes with significant expectations. The institution will be drawing on its long-held holdings of nearly 500 pieces from Lichtenstein, as well as, presumably, dozens loans from collections around the world. TBD 2026.

Drawn to Venice and Monet and Venice

San Francisco sister institutions, the Legion of Honor and another, will focus on the Floating City through two interconnected shows: one location presents a celebration of the city as a source of high art for hundreds of years, while the other zooms in on what the Impressionist Claude Monet thought of the enchanting city of canals. The artist felt intimidated by the challenge of depicting Venice – a theme that had inspired the world’s most esteemed artists for hundreds of years – but he eventually met the challenge, producing some 37 paintings, among them the masterpiece *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 massive first feature, *Amores Perros*, director Alejandro G Iñárritu revisits more than a million feet of film that was left out of the final cut, crafting an immersive experience that also serves as a homage to celluloid. Accounts suggest the director delved into the archives to create what he described as “a rebirth, not merely a tribute” of one of his most beloved films. Perhaps the installation will evoke a sense of optimism that pervades Iñárritu’s film despite the hardship he simultaneously documents. Late Winter through Summer.

Carol Bove

The Guggenheim is dedicating the mixed media sculptor creator a comprehensive retrospective, beginning with her early works and progressing through to a new series of works fashioned from found metal and steel tubing. Inspired by “the 60s” and Minimalist art, Bove frequently takes her components straight from the city environment, creating fascinating and strange constructions that have appeared in some of the country’s most notable art spots. With major shows at the MoMA and the Palais de Tokyo, Bove’s thirty years of creation are ripe for a thorough survey. Early Spring to Summer.

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

Anyone familiar with a certain publication *The Body Keeps the Score* will be familiar with French master Henri Matisse’s cut-out *Icarus* – this is actually one of 20 paper compositions that he combined with text and bound into a volume titled *Jazz* in 1947. In the coming season, a Midwestern museum exhibits the complete set of Matisse’s preparatory models – an unprecedented exhibition since the museum acquired the works in 1948 – plus some 50 additional pieces by the artist. These creations represented a prolific final chapter for Matisse. March through early Summer.

Raphael: Master of the Renaissance

The great artist Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino stood alongside Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo as the renowned titans of the Italian Renaissance – but he has seldom received a major show on American 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 works from throughout Europe and more than 200 works total, this promises to be a major event. 29 March–28 June.

Shu Lea Cheang: Lover Love

A New York Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art presents a major, large-scale video installation by Taiwanese-American artist and film-maker Shu Lea Cheang, a major figure in new media art. In keeping with much of her work, Cheang here explores the everyday realities of trans life. The installation is designed as a very engaging experience, with visitors invited to play around with the multiple movable screens that show 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 native Uganda when her identity was revealed as a lesbian in 2015. Babirye is known for transforming discarded objects to make elaborate, LGBTQ+-themed assemblages. This exhibition highlights new work based on the theme of queer weddings. This continues her ongoing project of employing reclaimed materials as a meaningful gesture of defiance. 27 August–18 January 2027.

Taking Back Our Space

Building on the pioneering work of west German feminist photographer Marianne Wex, who analyzed how genders are socialized to use physical space differently, this show investigates how non-verbal communication shapes unconscious interaction. Wex’s research spanned art dating back to 2000 BC. Here, Wex’s explorations are both exhibited and juxtaposed with the work of modern Black, queer, and feminist artists. Fall 2026 into 2027.

Additional Highlights for 2026

In February, a Pacific Northwest institution celebrates the evocative silhouette art of an emerging artist. Beginning 5 March, an art gallery is featuring the work of up and coming Black artist an innovative creator. In the summer months, an Arkansas museum reexamines iconic pop artist Keith Haring with a show of his sculptural works. Come fall, a Michigan museum will show a collection of Georgia O’Keefe’s architectural studies. Simultaneously, an Arizona venue exhibits the colorful work of South Korean painter Kim Chong Hak.