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Spanning old masters and pop artists, contemporary greats alongside a renowned Mexican film-maker, art museums and galleries across the United States have some spectacular shows coming up in 2026.

Roy Lichtenstein

First revealed several years ago during 2023, now merely a placeholder listing on a major museum's online schedule, this expansive survey of one of the pioneering figures of the pop art movement carries significant expectations. The institution plans to utilize its decades-old collection of nearly 500 pieces from Lichtenstein, in addition to, one would imagine, dozens borrowed works from institutions around the world. TBD 2026.

Venetian Visions: From Old Masters to Monet

Bay Area sister institutions, one prestigious venue and another, will focus on the Floating City through two interconnected exhibitions: one location presents a celebration of the city as an engine of high art for hundreds of years, and the latter will focus on what impressionist Claude Monet made of the enchanting city of canals. Monet himself was daunted by the prospect of painting Venice – a theme that had inspired the most revered artists for centuries – yet he ultimately met the challenge, producing some 37 paintings, including the renowned work *The Grand Canal*. Winter through Summer and Spring into Summer.

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

Marking the quarter-century of his massive first feature, *Amores Perros*, filmmaker Alejandro G Iñárritu revisits more than 1m ft of film that was left out of the final cut, crafting an art installation that doubles as a homage to celluloid. Reportedly the director dug deep into the archives to create what he called “a rebirth, not merely a tribute” of one of his most beloved films. Perhaps the installation will evoke some of the hope that runs through Iñárritu’s film despite the hardship he simultaneously documents. 22 February-26 July.

The Sculptural World of 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 new collection of pieces fashioned from found metal and steel tubing. Drawing from “the 1960s” and Minimalist art, Bove frequently takes her components straight from the city environment, producing fascinating and strange constructions that have been displayed in some of the country’s most notable venues. With significant exhibitions in Museum of Modern Art and the Palais de Tokyo, Bove’s thirty years of work are ready for a in-depth 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* may recognize French master Henri Matisse’s cut-out *Icarus* – this is actually one of 20 cut-paper works that he paired with text and bound into a volume titled *Jazz* in 1947. This spring, a Midwestern museum will display all 20 of Matisse’s cut-paper maquettes – an unprecedented exhibition since the museum acquired the works in 1948 – plus some 50 of Matisse’s other works. These creations represented a late stage flowering for Matisse. 7 March-1 June.

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 received a major show on American soil. A premier East Coast institution aims to rectify that with this massive exhibition. Raphael is well-known for masterpieces like his *Sistine Madonna* and *The School of Athens*. With loans from all across Europe and more than 200 works total, this is poised as a blockbuster show. 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 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 transgender existence. Lover Love is designed as a highly interactive piece, with audience members invited to play around with the multiple movable screens that show the central film. Spring 2026 through early 2027.

Leilah Babirye

The Institute of Contemporary Art Boston will feature recent creations from this artist, who was forced to flee her native Uganda after being outed as a lesbian in 2015. Babirye is recognized for transforming unconventional materials to make elaborate, LGBTQ+-themed sculptures. This exhibition highlights recent pieces based on the theme of same-sex marriage. This continues her ongoing project of using reclaimed materials as a meaningful gesture of defiance. 27 August–18 January 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 body language influences unspoken interaction. Wex’s research included art as old as ancient sculptures. Here, Wex’s findings are displayed and put into conversation with the work of contemporary Black, queer, and feminist artists. Fall 2026 into 2027.

Additional Highlights for 2026

In February, a Pacific Northwest institution showcases the evocative shadow-based work of Samantha Yun Wall. Starting 5 March, a prominent gallery is featuring the work of up and coming artist Kwamé Azure Gomez. During the summer, an Arkansas museum revisits 80s graffiti artist Keith Haring with a show of his three-dimensional works. Come fall, a Michigan museum will show a collection of Georgia O’Keefe’s architectural studies. And also in September, the Phoenix Art Museum exhibits the colorful work of South Korean painter Kim Chong Hak.