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From Renaissance masters and pop artists, contemporary greats alongside a major Mexican film-maker, art museums and galleries throughout the United States have a series of spectacular exhibitions coming up in 2026.

Roy Lichtenstein

Announced all the way back during 2023, and currently merely a placeholder listing at The Whitney’s website, this expansive survey of a central creators of the pop art movement carries some pretty heavy expectations. The institution will be drawing on its long-held holdings of nearly 500 works from Lichtenstein, as well as, presumably, dozens loans from collections globally. TBD 2026.

Drawn to Venice and Monet and Venice

San Francisco partner museums, one prestigious venue along with another, will be centering Venice with two interconnected shows: the former museum will offer a celebration of the city as an engine of high art throughout the centuries, while the other zooms in on what the Impressionist Claude Monet thought of the romantic city of canals. Monet himself was daunted by the prospect of painting Venice – a theme that had inspired the world’s most esteemed artists for hundreds of years – yet he ultimately rose to the task, producing some 37 paintings, including the renowned work *The Grand Canal*. Winter through Summer and 21 March-26 July.

Sueño Perro: a film installation by Alejandro G Iñárritu

Marking the quarter-century of his groundbreaking first feature, *Amores Perros*, filmmaker Alejandro G Iñárritu returns to more than a million feet of film that never made it of the final cut, creating an art installation that doubles as a homage to film. Reportedly Iñárritu dug deep into the archives to create what he called “a rebirth, not merely a tribute” of a cherished films. It's possible the exhibit will instil some of the hope that pervades Iñárritu’s film in spite of the hardship he simultaneously documents. 22 February-26 July.

Carol Bove

The Guggenheim is dedicating the mixed media sculptor creator a comprehensive retrospective, starting with her early works and progressing through to a fresh collection of works fashioned from scrap metal and steel tubing. Drawing from “the 60s” and Minimalist art, Bove often takes her materials straight from the city environment, producing fascinating and strange sculptures that have been displayed in prestigious art spots. With major shows in the MoMA and a Parisian institution, her three decades of work are ready for a thorough overview. 5 March–2 August.

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

Anyone who know a certain publication *The Body Keeps the Score* may recognize French master Henri Matisse’s cut-out *Icarus* – it’s actually one of 20 cut-paper works that he combined with text and bound into a book titled *Jazz* in 1947. In the coming season, Chicago’s Art Institute exhibits all 20 of Matisse’s preparatory models – the first such showing since the museum acquired the works in 1948 – as well as some 50 additional pieces by the artist. These creations were part of a late stage flowering for Matisse. March through early Summer.

Raphael: Sublime Poetry

The great artist Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino is ranked with Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo as the renowned masters of Renaissance Italy – but he has rarely received a large-scale exhibition on US 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 all across Europe and more than 200 works in all, this promises to be a major event. Late March through June.

Shu Lea Cheang: Lover Love

A New York queer art museum will host a major, large-scale film-based work by Taiwanese-American artist and film-maker Shu Lea Cheang, a major figure in digital art. As with most of her work, Cheang here explores the daily struggles of trans life. Lover Love promises to be a very engaging piece, with audience members invited to interact with the multiple movable screens that display the central film. 2 April–January 2027.

Leilah Babirye: Reclamation and Defiance

A Boston contemporary art center 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 recognized for deconstructing discarded objects to make intricate, 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 resistance. 27 August–18 January 2027.

Taking Back Our Space

Expanding upon the pioneering work of west German feminist photographer Marianne Wex, who studied how genders are socialized to inhabit space differently, this exhibition examines how body language shapes unconscious interaction. Wex’s studies included art as old as 2000 BC. Here, Wex’s explorations are both exhibited and juxtaposed with the work of contemporary Black, queer, and feminist artists. 20 September–Spring 2027.

And more …

Early in the year, the Seattle Art Museum celebrates the evocative shadow-based work of an emerging artist. Starting 5 March, a prominent gallery is highlighting the work of up and coming artist Kwamé Azure Gomez. In the summer months, the Crystal Bridges Museum reexamines 80s graffiti artist Keith Haring through a show of his three-dimensional works. Come fall, the Detroit Institute of Arts will show a collection of Georgia O’Keefe’s architecture paintings. Simultaneously, an Arizona venue displays the vibrant work of artist Kim Chong Hak.