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Spanning old masters and contemporary icons, contemporary greats alongside a major Mexican film-maker, art museums as well as galleries throughout the United States have a series of spectacular exhibitions coming up for 2026.

Roy Lichtenstein

Announced all the way back during 2023, now merely a mostly empty page at a major museum's online schedule, this major retrospective of a pioneering figures of the pop art movement carries significant anticipation. The museum plans to utilize its long-held collection of close to 500 works by Lichtenstein, as well as, one would imagine, numerous loans from institutions around the world. TBD 2026.

Drawn to Venice and Monet and Venice

Bay Area sister institutions, one prestigious venue and deYoung, will be centering the Floating City through two linked shows: one location presents a exploration of the city as a source of high art throughout the centuries, and the latter zooms in on what the Impressionist Claude Monet made of the enchanting city of canals. The artist was daunted by the prospect of painting Venice – a theme that had inspired the most revered artists for hundreds of years – but he eventually met the challenge, creating some 37 canvases, among them the masterpiece *The Grand Canal*. 6 January-2 August and Spring into Summer.

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

Celebrating the quarter-century of his groundbreaking first feature, *Amores Perros*, filmmaker Alejandro G Iñárritu revisits over a million feet of film that was left out into the final cut, creating an immersive experience that doubles as a homage to film. Accounts suggest Iñárritu dug deep into the archives to create what he described as “not a tribute, but a resurrection” of a cherished films. Perhaps the installation will evoke a sense of optimism that pervades Iñárritu’s film despite the hardship he simultaneously documents. Late Winter through Summer.

Carol Bove

The Guggenheim is dedicating the multidisciplinary sculptor creator a comprehensive retrospective, beginning with her initial pieces and progressing all the way up to a fresh series of works fashioned from found metal and steel tubing. Inspired by “the 60s” and minimalism, Bove often sources her materials straight from the city environment, producing fascinating and strange sculptures that have appeared in prestigious venues. With significant exhibitions in the MoMA and the Palais de Tokyo, her three decades of creation are ripe for a thorough overview. Early Spring to Summer.

Matisse’s Jazz: Rhythms in Color

Anyone 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 paper compositions that he paired with text and published as a book titled *Jazz* in 1947. This spring, a Midwestern museum exhibits the complete set of Matisse’s preparatory models – the first such showing after the museum obtained the works in 1948 – as well as some 50 additional pieces by the artist. The cut paper works represented a prolific final chapter for Matisse. 7 March-1 June.

Raphael: Master of the Renaissance

Italian master artist Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino stood alongside Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo as the celebrated masters of Renaissance Italy – yet he has seldom been honored with a major show on American soil. A premier East Coast institution aims to rectify that with this massive exhibition. Raphael is well-known for iconic works like his *Sistine Madonna* and *The School of Athens*. With loans from all across Europe and over 200 works in all, this is poised as a blockbuster show. 29 March–28 June.

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

NYC’s Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art presents a significant and immersive video installation by Taiwanese-American artist and film-maker Shu Lea Cheang, a major figure in new media art. As with much of her work, Cheang in this piece explores the daily struggles of transgender existence. Lover Love promises to be a very engaging piece, with visitors encouraged to play around with the four moveable screens that show the core footage. 2 April–January 2027.

Leilah Babirye: Reclamation and Defiance

The Institute of Contemporary Art Boston will feature new work 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 assemblages. This exhibition showcases new work based on the theme of queer weddings. It extends her longstanding practice of employing reclaimed materials as a symbolic act of resistance. 27 August–18 January 2027.

Taking Back Our Space

Building on the pioneering work of west German feminist photographer Marianne Wex, who analyzed how genders are conditioned to inhabit space differently, this show examines how non-verbal communication shapes unspoken interaction. Wex’s research included art as old as 2000 BC. Here, Wex’s findings are displayed and put into conversation with the work of contemporary diverse artists. 20 September–Spring 2027.

And more …

Early in the year, the Seattle Art Museum showcases the evocative shadow-based work of an emerging artist. Starting 5 March, a prominent gallery is highlighting the work of up and coming artist an innovative creator. In the summer months, the Crystal Bridges Museum reexamines 80s graffiti artist Keith Haring through a show of his three-dimensional works. Come fall, a Michigan museum will show a selection of the artist's architectural studies. Simultaneously, the Phoenix Art Museum exhibits the vibrant work of South Korean painter Kim Chong Hak.