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From Renaissance masters and pop artists, modern visionaries alongside a renowned Mexican film-maker, art museums as well as galleries throughout the United States are preparing some dazzling shows coming up in 2026.

Roy Lichtenstein

Announced all the way back during 2023, and currently just a placeholder listing on a major museum's online schedule, this expansive survey of one of the pioneering figures of the Pop Art era comes with significant anticipation. The museum plans to utilize its long-held holdings of nearly 500 pieces by Lichtenstein, as well as, presumably, dozens loans from collections globally. Dates to be announced 2026.

Drawn to Venice and Monet and Venice

Bay Area sister institutions, one prestigious venue and another, will be centering Venice through two linked exhibitions: one location presents a exploration of the city as an engine of artistic inspiration throughout the centuries, and the latter will focus on what the Impressionist Claude Monet thought of the romantic city of canals. The artist felt intimidated by the challenge of depicting Venice – a theme that had captivated the world’s most esteemed artists for centuries – yet he ultimately rose to the task, creating some 37 canvases, including the renowned work *The Grand Canal*. 6 January-2 August and 21 March-26 July.

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

Marking the 25th anniversary of his massive debut film, *Amores Perros*, director Alejandro G Iñárritu returns to over a million feet of footage that was left out into the final cut, crafting an art installation that also serves as a homage to celluloid. Accounts suggest the director dug deep into the vaults to create what he called “not a tribute, but a resurrection” of one of his most beloved films. It's possible the installation will evoke a sense of optimism that pervades Iñárritu’s film in spite of the hardship he also chronicles. Late Winter through Summer.

Carol Bove

The Guggenheim will give the multidisciplinary sculptor creator a comprehensive retrospective, starting with her early works and moving all the way up to a new series of works made from found metal and steel tubing. Inspired by “the 1960s” and Minimalist art, Bove frequently takes her materials straight from the city environment, producing intriguing and unusual constructions that have been displayed in prestigious venues. With major shows in the MoMA and a Parisian institution, her three decades of creation are ripe for a thorough survey. Early Spring to Summer.

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

Those familiar with a certain publication *The Body Keeps the Score* will be familiar with French master Henri Matisse’s cut-out *Icarus* – this is in fact one of 20 cut-paper works that he combined with text and published as a volume titled *Jazz* in 1947. In the coming season, a Midwestern museum exhibits all 20 of Matisse’s preparatory models – an unprecedented exhibition since the museum acquired the works in 1948 – plus some 50 additional pieces by the artist. The cut paper works represented a late stage flowering for Matisse. 7 March-1 June.

Raphael: Sublime Poetry

Italian master painter and architect Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino stood alongside Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo as the renowned masters of Renaissance Italy – but he has seldom been honored with a major show on American soil. New York’s Metropolitan Museum seeks to change that with this massive exhibition. Raphael is famous for masterpieces like his *Sistine Madonna* and *The School of Athens*. With loans from all across Europe and over 200 works total, this is poised as a major event. 29 March–28 June.

Shu Lea Cheang: Lover Love

NYC’s queer art museum presents a significant and immersive video installation by transmedia artist and director Shu Lea Cheang, a prominent voice in digital art. As with most of her work, Cheang in this piece explores the daily struggles of trans life. Lover Love is designed as a very engaging experience, with visitors invited to interact with the multiple movable screens that show the central film. Spring 2026 through early 2027.

Leilah Babirye

The Institute of Contemporary Art Boston showcases recent creations from this artist, who was forced to flee her native Uganda when her identity was revealed as a lesbian in 2015. Babirye is known for deconstructing discarded objects to make elaborate, LGBTQ+-themed sculptures. The show showcases new work based on the theme of same-sex marriage. This continues her ongoing project of employing found items as a meaningful gesture of defiance. 27 August–18 January 2027.

Taking Back Our Space

Building on 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 unspoken interaction. Wex’s research included art dating back to ancient sculptures. Here, Wex’s findings are displayed and put into conversation with the work of contemporary Black, queer, and feminist artists. 20 September–Spring 2027.

Additional Highlights for 2026

Early in the year, a Pacific Northwest institution showcases the haunting silhouette art of Samantha Yun Wall. Starting 5 March, a prominent gallery is featuring the work of up and coming Black artist Kwamé Azure Gomez. During the summer, an Arkansas museum reexamines 80s graffiti artist Keith Haring with a show of his sculptural works. Come fall, the Detroit Institute of Arts will show a selection of the artist's architectural studies. Simultaneously, an Arizona venue exhibits the colorful work of South Korean painter Kim Chong Hak.