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From Renaissance masters and contemporary icons, modern visionaries alongside a major Mexican film-maker, galleries and institutions throughout the United States have a series of dazzling exhibitions on the horizon in 2026.

Roy Lichtenstein

Announced all the way back in 2023, and currently just a placeholder listing at a major museum's website, this major retrospective of one of the pioneering figures of the Pop Art era comes with some pretty heavy expectations. The museum will be drawing on its decades-old holdings of close to 500 pieces by Lichtenstein, in addition to, one would imagine, dozens borrowed works from collections globally. Dates to be announced 2026.

Venetian Visions: From Old Masters to Monet

San Francisco partner museums, the Legion of Honor and another, will focus on the Floating City with two interconnected exhibitions: the former museum will offer a exploration of the city as an engine of high art for hundreds of years, while the other will focus on what impressionist Claude Monet thought of the enchanting city of canals. Monet himself was daunted by the challenge of depicting Venice – a subject that had inspired the most revered artists for hundreds of years – yet he ultimately rose to the task, creating some 37 canvases, including the masterpiece *The Grand Canal*. 6 January-2 August and Spring into Summer.

Sueño Perro: a film installation by Alejandro G Iñárritu

Celebrating the quarter-century of his groundbreaking debut film, *Amores Perros*, filmmaker Alejandro G Iñárritu returns to more than a million feet of footage that was left out of the final cut, crafting an art installation that doubles as a love letter to film. Accounts suggest the director delved into the vaults to create what he described as “a rebirth, not merely a tribute” of a cherished films. Perhaps the exhibit will evoke a sense of optimism that runs through Iñárritu’s film in spite of the hardship he simultaneously documents. Late Winter through Summer.

The Sculptural World of Carol Bove

A major New York museum will give the multidisciplinary sculpture and installation artist a comprehensive retrospective, starting with her early works and progressing all the way up to a new collection of pieces fashioned from found metal and industrial materials. Drawing from “the 1960s” and Minimalist art, Bove often sources her materials directly from the urban landscape, producing fascinating and strange sculptures that have appeared in prestigious venues. With major shows in Museum of Modern Art and a Parisian institution, her three decades of work are ready for a thorough survey. Early Spring to Summer.

Matisse’s Jazz: Rhythms in Color

Those who know a certain publication *The Body Keeps the Score* may recognize French master Henri Matisse’s papercut *Icarus* – this is in fact one of 20 cut-paper works that he paired with text and published as a volume titled *Jazz* in 1947. In the coming season, Chicago’s Art Institute will display all 20 of Matisse’s cut-paper maquettes – the first such showing after the museum acquired the works in 1948 – as well as around 50 of Matisse’s other works. These creations represented a late stage flowering for Matisse. 7 March-1 June.

Raphael: Sublime Poetry

Italian master artist Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino stood alongside Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo as the celebrated titans of the Italian Renaissance – but he has seldom been honored with a major show on American soil. New York’s Metropolitan Museum 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 works from throughout Europe and over 200 works in all, this promises to be a blockbuster show. 29 March–28 June.

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

A New York Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art will host a significant and immersive film-based work by transmedia artist and director Shu Lea Cheang, a major figure in digital art. In keeping with most of her work, Cheang here investigates the everyday realities of transgender existence. The installation promises to be a highly interactive experience, with visitors encouraged to play around with the four moveable screens that show the core footage. 2 April–January 2027.

Leilah Babirye

The Institute of Contemporary Art Boston showcases 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 transforming unconventional materials to make elaborate, queer-themed assemblages. This exhibition showcases recent pieces based on the theme of same-sex marriage. This continues her longstanding practice of using found items as a symbolic act of defiance. Late Summer 2026 into early 2027.

Taking Back Our Space

Expanding upon the foundational research of west German feminist photographer Marianne Wex, who studied how genders are conditioned to inhabit space differently, this exhibition examines how non-verbal communication influences unspoken interaction. Wex’s research spanned art dating back to 2000 BC. Here, Wex’s findings are both exhibited and juxtaposed with the work of modern diverse artists. 20 September–Spring 2027.

Additional Highlights for 2026

Early in the year, a Pacific Northwest institution celebrates the haunting silhouette art of an emerging artist. Beginning 5 March, an art gallery is highlighting the work of rising artist an innovative creator. During the summer, the Crystal Bridges Museum reexamines 80s graffiti artist Keith Haring through a show of his sculptural works. Come fall, a Michigan museum will show a selection of the artist's architectural studies. And also in September, the Phoenix Art Museum displays the vibrant work of South Korean painter Kim Chong Hak.