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From old masters to contemporary icons, modern visionaries and even a major Mexican director, galleries and galleries across the United States are preparing a series of spectacular shows coming up in 2026.

The Pop Art of Roy Lichtenstein

Announced several years ago in 2023, now just a mostly empty page on The Whitney’s online schedule, this major retrospective of a central creators of the Pop Art era carries significant expectations. The museum plans to utilize its long-held holdings of close to 500 works from Lichtenstein, as well as, one would imagine, numerous borrowed works from collections around the world. Dates to be announced 2026.

Venetian Visions: From Old Masters to Monet

Bay Area sister institutions, one prestigious venue along with deYoung, will be centering Venice through two interconnected exhibitions: the former museum presents a celebration of the city as a source of high art for hundreds of years, and the latter zooms in on what the Impressionist Claude Monet made of the romantic city of canals. Monet himself was daunted by the challenge of painting Venice – a subject that had captivated the world’s most esteemed artists for hundreds of years – but he eventually rose to the task, creating some 37 canvases, among them the renowned work *The Grand Canal*. Winter through Summer and 21 March-26 July.

Sueño Perro: a film installation by Alejandro G Iñárritu

Celebrating the quarter-century of his massive first feature, *Amores Perros*, filmmaker Alejandro G Iñárritu returns to over a million feet of film that never made it of the final cut, crafting an art installation that doubles as a love letter to celluloid. Reportedly Iñárritu dug deep into the vaults to create what he called “a rebirth, not merely a tribute” of a cherished films. It's possible the exhibit will evoke a sense of optimism that pervades Iñárritu’s film in spite of the hardship he also chronicles. 22 February-26 July.

Carol Bove

The Guggenheim is dedicating the multidisciplinary sculptor creator a major career survey, beginning with her initial pieces and progressing all the way up to a new collection of pieces fashioned from scrap metal and industrial materials. Inspired by “the 60s” and Minimalist art, Bove frequently sources her materials directly from the city environment, creating fascinating and strange constructions that have been displayed in prestigious art spots. With significant exhibitions in Museum of Modern Art and a Parisian institution, Bove’s thirty years of work are ready for a thorough survey. 5 March–2 August.

Matisse’s Jazz: Rhythms in Color

Anyone who know a certain publication *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 paired with text and bound into a volume titled *Jazz* in 1947. In the coming season, Chicago’s Art Institute will display all 20 of Matisse’s preparatory models – an unprecedented exhibition since the museum obtained the works in 1948 – plus around 50 of Matisse’s other works. The cut paper works were part of a prolific final chapter for Matisse. 7 March-1 June.

Raphael: Sublime Poetry

The great artist Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino is ranked with Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo as the renowned titans of Renaissance Italy – yet he has seldom received a major show on American soil. A premier East Coast institution seeks to change that with this massive exhibition. Raphael is well-known for masterpieces like his *Sistine Madonna* and *The School of Athens*. Featuring loans from throughout Europe and more than 200 works total, this promises to be a blockbuster show. 29 March–28 June.

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

A New York queer art museum presents a significant and immersive film-based work by Taiwanese-American artist and director Shu Lea Cheang, a prominent voice in new media art. In keeping with most of her work, Cheang in this piece investigates the daily struggles of transgender existence. Lover Love is designed as a very engaging piece, with visitors encouraged to interact with the four moveable screens that display the central film. Spring 2026 through early 2027.

Leilah Babirye

A Boston contemporary art center will feature 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 known for transforming unconventional materials to make elaborate, LGBTQ+-themed assemblages. The show showcases recent pieces based on the theme of queer weddings. This continues her longstanding practice of using found items as a symbolic act of defiance. 27 August–18 January 2027.

Taking Back Our Space: Body Language and Power

Expanding upon the pioneering work of German feminist photographer Marianne Wex, who analyzed how men and women are socialized to use physical space differently, this show investigates how body language shapes unconscious interaction. Wex’s research spanned art as old as ancient sculptures. Here, Wex’s explorations are both exhibited and put into conversation with the work of contemporary diverse artists. 20 September–Spring 2027.

Additional Highlights for 2026

In February, the Seattle Art Museum showcases the haunting shadow-based work of an emerging artist. Starting 5 March, a prominent gallery is highlighting the work of rising Black artist an innovative creator. During the summer, an Arkansas museum revisits 80s graffiti artist Keith Haring through a show of his three-dimensional works. Come fall, the Detroit Institute of Arts presents a selection 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.