🔗 Share this article

From Renaissance masters to pop artists, contemporary greats and even a major Latin American film-maker, galleries and galleries across the United States have some spectacular shows coming up for 2026.

The Pop Art of Roy Lichtenstein

Announced several years ago during 2023, and currently merely a mostly empty page at The Whitney’s website, this major retrospective of one of the central creators of the Pop Art era comes with significant expectations. The museum will be drawing on its long-held holdings of close to 500 works from Lichtenstein, in addition to, presumably, dozens borrowed works from collections around the world. TBD 2026.

Drawn to Venice and Monet and Venice

San Francisco partner museums, the Legion of Honor and another, will be centering Venice with two linked exhibitions: the former museum will offer a celebration of the city as an engine of artistic inspiration throughout the centuries, while the other zooms in on what the Impressionist Claude Monet thought of the enchanting 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 hundreds of years – but he eventually met the challenge, producing approximately 37 canvases, including the masterpiece *The Grand Canal*. Winter through Summer and Spring into Summer.

Sueño Perro: a film installation by Alejandro G Iñárritu

Celebrating the quarter-century of his massive first feature, *Amores Perros*, director Alejandro G Iñárritu revisits over 1m ft of film that never made it into the released movie, creating an immersive experience that also serves as a homage to film. Accounts suggest Iñárritu dug deep into the vaults to create what he called “not a tribute, but a resurrection” of one of his most beloved films. Perhaps the installation will evoke a sense of optimism that runs through Iñárritu’s film despite the pain he also chronicles. Late Winter through Summer.

The Sculptural World of Carol Bove

A major New York museum is dedicating the multidisciplinary sculpture and installation artist a major career survey, beginning with her early works and progressing through to a fresh series of works made from scrap metal and steel tubing. Inspired by “the 1960s” and minimalism, Bove often sources her components straight from the urban landscape, producing fascinating and strange sculptures that have appeared in prestigious art spots. Having had significant exhibitions at Museum of Modern Art and a Parisian institution, Bove’s three decades of creation are ripe for a in-depth survey. Early Spring to Summer.

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

Those familiar with the book *The Body Keeps the Score* may recognize French master Henri Matisse’s papercut *Icarus* – it’s in fact one of 20 cut-paper works that he combined with text and bound into a volume titled *Jazz* in 1947. In the coming season, a Midwestern museum exhibits all 20 of Matisse’s preparatory models – an unprecedented exhibition after the museum obtained the works in 1948 – as well as around 50 additional pieces by the artist. These creations were part of a prolific final chapter for Matisse. March through early Summer.

Raphael: Sublime Poetry

The great painter and architect Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino is ranked with Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo as the renowned masters of the Italian Renaissance – but he has rarely received a major show on US soil. New York’s Metropolitan Museum aims to rectify that with this landmark show. Raphael is famous for iconic works like his *Sistine Madonna* and *The School of Athens*. With loans from throughout Europe and over 200 works in all, this promises to be a major event. 29 March–28 June.

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

A New York Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art presents a significant and immersive film-based work by Taiwanese-American artist and film-maker Shu Lea Cheang, a major figure in digital art. In keeping with most of her work, Cheang here investigates the daily struggles of trans life. The installation is designed as a highly interactive piece, with visitors encouraged to interact with the four moveable screens that show the central film. Spring 2026 through early 2027.

Leilah Babirye: Reclamation and Defiance

A Boston contemporary art center will feature recent creations from this artist, who was compelled to leave her home country of Uganda when her identity was revealed as a lesbian in 2015. Babirye is known for deconstructing discarded objects to make intricate, queer-themed assemblages. The show highlights new work based on the concept of same-sex marriage. It extends her longstanding practice of using found items as a symbolic act of defiance. 27 August–18 January 2027.

Taking Back Our Space

Building on the pioneering work of west German feminist photographer Marianne Wex, who studied how genders are socialized to use physical space differently, this show examines how body language influences unconscious interaction. Wex’s research included art as old as 2000 BC. Here, Wex’s findings are displayed and juxtaposed with the work of modern diverse artists. Fall 2026 into 2027.

And more …

In February, a Pacific Northwest institution celebrates the haunting silhouette art of Samantha Yun Wall. Starting 5 March, an art gallery is featuring the work of up and coming Black artist Kwamé Azure Gomez. In the summer months, an Arkansas museum revisits iconic pop artist Keith Haring with a show of his sculptural works. In September, the Detroit Institute of Arts presents a selection of the artist's architectural studies. And also in September, an Arizona venue displays the vibrant work of South Korean painter Kim Chong Hak.