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From Renaissance masters to pop artists, contemporary greats and even a major Latin American film-maker, art museums as well as galleries across the United States have a series of dazzling shows on the horizon in 2026.

Roy Lichtenstein

Announced all the way back in 2023, and currently just a mostly empty page on The Whitney’s website, this major retrospective of one of the central creators of the Pop Art era carries significant expectations. The institution will be drawing on its decades-old collection of nearly 500 works by Lichtenstein, in addition to, one would imagine, numerous loans from institutions around the world. Dates to be announced 2026.

Venetian Visions: From Old Masters to Monet

Bay Area partner museums, the Legion of Honor along with deYoung, will be centering the Floating City through two interconnected exhibitions: the former museum will offer a celebration of the city as a source of artistic inspiration for hundreds of years, and the latter zooms in on what the Impressionist Claude Monet thought of the enchanting city of canals. Monet himself felt intimidated by the prospect of depicting Venice – a theme that had inspired the most revered artists for hundreds of years – yet he ultimately met the challenge, producing approximately 37 paintings, including the masterpiece *The Grand Canal*. 6 January-2 August and Spring into Summer.

Sueño Perro: a film installation by Alejandro G Iñárritu

Celebrating the quarter-century of his groundbreaking first feature, *Amores Perros*, filmmaker Alejandro G Iñárritu revisits more than a million feet of film that was left out of the final cut, creating 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 “not a tribute, but a resurrection” of one of his most beloved films. Perhaps the installation will evoke a sense of optimism that pervades Iñárritu’s film in spite of the pain he also chronicles. Late Winter through Summer.

The Sculptural World of Carol Bove

The Guggenheim will give the multidisciplinary sculpture and installation creator a major career survey, starting with her initial pieces and progressing through to a new series of works made from scrap metal and steel tubing. Inspired by “the 60s” and Minimalist art, Bove frequently takes her components directly from the urban landscape, creating fascinating and strange sculptures that have been displayed in some of the country’s most notable art spots. Having had major shows at Museum of Modern Art and a Parisian institution, her three decades of creation are ripe for a in-depth overview. 5 March–2 August.

Matisse’s Jazz: Rhythms in Color

Anyone familiar with the book *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 combined with text and bound into a book titled *Jazz* in 1947. In the coming season, Chicago’s Art Institute will display the complete set of Matisse’s cut-paper maquettes – the first such showing after the museum acquired the works in 1948 – plus 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

The great painter and architect Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino is ranked with Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo as the celebrated titans of Renaissance Italy – but he has rarely been honored with 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*. With loans from throughout Europe and more than 200 works in all, this is poised as a major event. 29 March–28 June.

Shu Lea Cheang: Lover Love

A New York Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art will host a major, large-scale video installation by transmedia artist and director Shu Lea Cheang, a prominent voice in digital art. In keeping with most of her work, Cheang in this piece investigates the everyday realities of trans life. The installation is designed as a very engaging piece, with audience members invited to interact with the four moveable screens that display the central film. Spring 2026 through early 2027.

Leilah Babirye

The Institute of Contemporary Art Boston 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 known for deconstructing unconventional materials to make elaborate, LGBTQ+-themed sculptures. The show highlights new work based on the theme of same-sex marriage. It extends her ongoing project of using reclaimed materials as a symbolic act of resistance. 27 August–18 January 2027.

Taking Back Our Space: Body Language and Power

Building on the pioneering work of German feminist photographer Marianne Wex, who studied how genders are socialized to use physical space differently, this show examines how non-verbal communication shapes unconscious interaction. Wex’s research included art as old as ancient sculptures. Here, Wex’s explorations are displayed and juxtaposed with the work of modern Black, queer, and feminist artists. Fall 2026 into 2027.

And more …

In February, the Seattle Art Museum celebrates 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. In the summer months, an Arkansas museum reexamines iconic pop artist Keith Haring through a show of his sculptural works. In September, the Detroit Institute of Arts presents a collection of the artist's architecture paintings. Simultaneously, the Phoenix Art Museum exhibits the vibrant work of South Korean painter Kim Chong Hak.