🔗 Share this article

From Renaissance masters to contemporary icons, contemporary greats alongside a major Latin American director, art museums as well as institutions throughout the United States are preparing some dazzling shows coming up for 2026.

The Pop Art of Roy Lichtenstein

First revealed several years ago in 2023, and currently just a placeholder listing on The Whitney’s online schedule, this expansive survey of one of the pioneering figures of the Pop Art era carries significant anticipation. The museum will be drawing on its long-held collection of close to 500 pieces from Lichtenstein, in addition to, presumably, dozens borrowed works from institutions around the world. Dates to be announced 2026.

Drawn to Venice and Monet and Venice

San Francisco partner museums, the Legion of Honor and deYoung, will focus on Venice with two interconnected exhibitions: the former museum presents a celebration of the city as a source of high art throughout the centuries, and the latter zooms in on what the Impressionist Claude Monet thought of the romantic city of canals. The artist was daunted by the prospect of painting Venice – a subject that had inspired the most revered artists for hundreds of years – but he eventually met the challenge, creating some 37 paintings, including the masterpiece *The Grand Canal*. Winter through Summer and Spring into Summer.

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

Marking the 25th anniversary of his massive first feature, *Amores Perros*, filmmaker Alejandro G Iñárritu revisits more than a million feet of footage that was left out of the final cut, crafting an immersive experience that also serves 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. It's possible the installation will instil some of the hope that runs through Iñárritu’s film in spite of the pain he simultaneously documents. 22 February-26 July.

Carol Bove

A major New York museum will give the mixed media sculpture and installation creator a comprehensive retrospective, starting with her initial pieces and progressing through to a fresh series of works made from found metal and industrial materials. Inspired by “the 1960s” and Minimalist art, 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 venues. Having had major shows in Museum of Modern Art and a Parisian institution, her three decades of work are ripe for a in-depth survey. 5 March–2 August.

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

Those who know a certain publication *The Body Keeps the Score* will be familiar with French master Henri Matisse’s cut-out *Icarus* – it’s in fact one of 20 cut-paper works that he combined with text and published as a book titled *Jazz* in 1947. In the coming season, a Midwestern museum will display the complete set of Matisse’s preparatory models – an unprecedented exhibition after the museum obtained the works in 1948 – as well as around 50 of Matisse’s other works. The cut paper works were part of a late stage flowering 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 masters of Renaissance Italy – yet he has rarely been honored with a major show on US soil. New York’s Metropolitan Museum aims to rectify that with this massive exhibition. Raphael is famous for masterpieces like his *Sistine Madonna* and *The School of Athens*. Featuring loans from throughout Europe and over 200 works total, this promises to be a blockbuster show. Late March through 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 director Shu Lea Cheang, a prominent voice in new media art. As with most of her work, Cheang here explores the everyday realities of transgender existence. Lover Love promises to be a highly interactive experience, with audience members encouraged to interact with the four moveable screens that display the core footage. Spring 2026 through early 2027.

Leilah Babirye

The Institute of Contemporary Art Boston showcases new work from this artist, who was forced to flee her home country of Uganda when her identity was revealed as a lesbian in 2015. Babirye is recognized for deconstructing discarded objects to make intricate, LGBTQ+-themed assemblages. This exhibition highlights recent pieces based on the theme of queer weddings. This continues her ongoing project of using reclaimed materials as a meaningful gesture of resistance. 27 August–18 January 2027.

Taking Back Our Space: Body Language and Power

Building on the pioneering work of west German feminist photographer Marianne Wex, who analyzed how genders are socialized to inhabit space differently, this show investigates how non-verbal communication shapes unconscious interaction. Wex’s research spanned art as old as ancient sculptures. Here, Wex’s findings are both exhibited and put into conversation with the work of contemporary diverse artists. 20 September–Spring 2027.

Additional Highlights for 2026

In February, a Pacific Northwest institution showcases the haunting shadow-based work of an emerging artist. Starting 5 March, a prominent gallery is featuring the work of up and coming artist Kwamé Azure Gomez. During the summer, the Crystal Bridges Museum reexamines iconic pop artist Keith Haring through a show of his sculptural works. Come fall, a Michigan museum will show a selection of Georgia O’Keefe’s architectural studies. And also in September, an Arizona venue displays the vibrant work of artist Kim Chong Hak.