🔗 Share this article

From Renaissance masters and contemporary icons, modern visionaries and even a major Mexican director, art museums as well as galleries across the US have a series of dazzling shows coming up in 2026.

The Pop Art of Roy Lichtenstein

Announced several years ago during 2023, now just a placeholder listing at a major museum's website, this expansive survey of one of the central creators of the Pop Art era comes with some pretty heavy expectations. The institution will be drawing on its decades-old holdings of close to 500 pieces by Lichtenstein, in addition to, one would imagine, dozens loans from collections around the world. Dates to be announced 2026.

Drawn to Venice and Monet and Venice

Bay Area sister institutions, one prestigious venue and another, will be centering Venice with two linked exhibitions: one location will offer a exploration of the city as a source of high art for hundreds of years, while the other zooms in on what the Impressionist Claude Monet made of the romantic city of canals. The artist was daunted by the prospect of painting Venice – a subject that had captivated the world’s most esteemed artists for hundreds of years – but he eventually met the challenge, creating some 37 paintings, among them the renowned work *The Grand Canal*. Winter through Summer and 21 March-26 July.

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

Marking the 25th anniversary of his groundbreaking first feature, *Amores Perros*, filmmaker Alejandro G Iñárritu returns to over a million feet of footage that was left out into the final cut, crafting an immersive experience that also serves as a homage to film. Accounts suggest Iñárritu delved into the vaults to create what he called “not a tribute, but a resurrection” of a cherished films. Perhaps the installation will instil some of the hope that runs through Iñárritu’s film in spite of the pain he also chronicles. 22 February-26 July.

The Sculptural World of Carol Bove

A major New York museum will give the mixed media sculptor artist a comprehensive retrospective, beginning with her early works and progressing through to a new collection of works made from found metal and industrial materials. Inspired by “the 60s” and minimalism, Bove often takes her materials straight from the urban landscape, producing intriguing and unusual constructions that have been displayed in some of the country’s most notable art spots. With significant exhibitions at Museum of Modern Art and the Palais de Tokyo, Bove’s thirty years of creation are ready for a in-depth 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 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, Chicago’s Art Institute exhibits the complete set of Matisse’s preparatory models – the first such showing after the museum acquired the works in 1948 – as well as around 50 additional pieces by the artist. The cut paper works represented a late stage flowering for Matisse. March through early Summer.

Raphael: Master of the Renaissance

The great painter and architect Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino stood alongside Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo as the celebrated masters of Renaissance Italy – but he has seldom been honored with a major show on American soil. New York’s Metropolitan Museum seeks to change that with this landmark show. Raphael is famous for masterpieces like his *Sistine Madonna* and *The School of Athens*. Featuring works from throughout Europe and more than 200 works in all, this promises to be a major event. 29 March–28 June.

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

NYC’s queer art museum presents a major, large-scale 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 promises to be a very engaging piece, with audience members encouraged to play around with the four moveable screens that display the core footage. 2 April–January 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 discarded objects to make intricate, LGBTQ+-themed sculptures. This exhibition showcases new work based on the concept of same-sex marriage. This continues her ongoing project of using found items as a symbolic act of defiance. Late Summer 2026 into early 2027.

Taking Back Our Space: Body Language and Power

Building on the foundational research of German feminist photographer Marianne Wex, who studied how men and women are socialized to use physical space differently, this show examines how non-verbal communication influences unconscious interaction. Wex’s studies included art as old as 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.

And more …

Early in the year, the Seattle Art Museum showcases the haunting shadow-based work of an emerging artist. Beginning 5 March, a prominent gallery is featuring the work of up and coming Black artist Kwamé Azure Gomez. In the summer months, an Arkansas museum reexamines iconic pop 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. And also in September, the Phoenix Art Museum exhibits the colorful work of South Korean painter Kim Chong Hak.