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From Renaissance masters and pop artists, contemporary greats and even a major Latin American film-maker, galleries as well as galleries throughout the US have some dazzling exhibitions coming up in 2026.

Roy Lichtenstein

Announced several years ago in 2023, now merely a placeholder listing at The Whitney’s website, this expansive survey of one of the pioneering figures of the Pop Art era carries significant expectations. The museum plans to utilize its long-held collection of nearly 500 works from Lichtenstein, in addition to, presumably, numerous loans from institutions around the world. TBD 2026.

Venetian Visions: From Old Masters to Monet

San Francisco partner museums, one prestigious venue along with deYoung, will focus on Venice with two linked exhibitions: one location will offer a exploration of the city as an engine of artistic inspiration for hundreds of years, while the other zooms in on what impressionist Claude Monet thought of the romantic city of canals. Monet himself was daunted by the challenge of depicting Venice – a theme that had captivated the most revered artists for centuries – yet he ultimately met the challenge, creating approximately 37 canvases, among them the renowned work *The Grand Canal*. Winter through Summer and Spring into Summer.

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

Celebrating the 25th anniversary of his massive debut film, *Amores Perros*, filmmaker Alejandro G Iñárritu returns to over a million feet of footage that never made it of the released movie, creating an art installation that doubles as a homage to celluloid. Accounts suggest the director dug deep into the vaults to create what he described as “a rebirth, not merely a tribute” of a cherished films. It's possible the exhibit will evoke some of the hope 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 major career survey, starting with her initial pieces and progressing all the way up to a fresh series of works made from scrap metal and steel tubing. Inspired by “the 1960s” and minimalism, Bove often sources her materials straight 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 significant exhibitions at the MoMA and a Parisian institution, her thirty years of creation are ready for a in-depth overview. 5 March–2 August.

Matisse’s Jazz: Rhythms in Color

Those who know a certain publication *The Body Keeps the Score* will be familiar with French master Henri Matisse’s papercut *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 – the first such showing since the museum obtained the works in 1948 – plus some 50 additional pieces by the artist. The cut paper works represented a prolific final chapter for Matisse. March through early Summer.

Raphael: Master of the Renaissance

The great painter and architect Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino stood alongside Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo as the celebrated titans of Renaissance Italy – yet he has rarely received a large-scale exhibition on American soil. A premier East Coast institution aims to rectify that with this landmark show. Raphael is famous for masterpieces like his *Sistine Madonna* and *The School of Athens*. Featuring loans from all across Europe and over 200 works total, this promises to be a blockbuster show. Late March through June.

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

NYC’s queer art museum will host a major, large-scale film-based work by Taiwanese-American artist and director Shu Lea Cheang, a major figure in new media art. As with most of her work, Cheang here explores the daily struggles of transgender existence. Lover Love promises to be a highly interactive piece, with visitors invited to interact with the multiple movable screens that display the central film. 2 April–January 2027.

Leilah Babirye: Reclamation and Defiance

A Boston contemporary art center showcases new work from this artist, who was forced to flee her home country of Uganda after being outed as a lesbian in 2015. Babirye is known for transforming unconventional materials to make intricate, LGBTQ+-themed assemblages. This exhibition highlights new work based on the concept of same-sex marriage. It extends her longstanding practice of using reclaimed materials as a symbolic act of resistance. Late Summer 2026 into early 2027.

Taking Back Our Space: Body Language and Power

Building on the pioneering work of German feminist photographer Marianne Wex, who analyzed how genders are conditioned to inhabit space differently, this show examines how body language influences unconscious interaction. Wex’s research spanned art as old as 2000 BC. Here, Wex’s findings are displayed and put into conversation with the work of modern Black, queer, and feminist artists. 20 September–Spring 2027.

And more …

In February, the Seattle Art Museum celebrates the haunting silhouette art of Samantha Yun Wall. Starting 5 March, a prominent gallery is featuring the work of rising Black artist an innovative creator. During the summer, the Crystal Bridges Museum revisits iconic pop artist Keith Haring with a show of his three-dimensional works. In September, a Michigan museum will show a selection of the artist's architecture paintings. Simultaneously, an Arizona venue displays the vibrant work of artist Kim Chong Hak.