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From Renaissance masters to pop artists, modern visionaries alongside a major Latin American film-maker, galleries and institutions throughout the US have a series of spectacular shows coming up for 2026.

The Pop Art of Roy Lichtenstein

Announced several years ago in 2023, and currently merely a mostly empty page at a major museum's website, this expansive survey of a central creators of the pop art movement comes with significant expectations. The institution plans to utilize its decades-old collection of close to 500 pieces from Lichtenstein, as well as, one would imagine, numerous borrowed works from collections around the world. Dates to be announced 2026.

Drawn to Venice and Monet and Venice

Bay Area partner museums, the Legion of Honor and deYoung, will focus on Venice through two linked exhibitions: one location presents a celebration of the city as a source of high art throughout the centuries, while the other zooms in on what impressionist Claude Monet made of the romantic city of canals. Monet himself was daunted by the challenge of depicting Venice – a theme that had inspired the world’s most esteemed artists for hundreds of years – but he eventually met the challenge, creating approximately 37 canvases, including the renowned work *The Grand Canal*. Winter through Summer and 21 March-26 July.

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

Celebrating the quarter-century of his groundbreaking first feature, *Amores Perros*, director Alejandro G Iñárritu revisits over 1m ft of film that was left out of the final cut, creating an art installation that also serves as a love letter to celluloid. Reportedly Iñárritu dug deep into the vaults to create what he described as “a rebirth, not merely a tribute” of one of his most beloved films. Perhaps the exhibit will evoke some of the hope that pervades Iñárritu’s film despite the hardship he simultaneously documents. 22 February-26 July.

Carol Bove

The Guggenheim will give the multidisciplinary sculpture and installation artist a major career survey, starting with her initial pieces and moving all the way up to a fresh series of pieces fashioned from scrap metal and steel tubing. Drawing from “the 60s” and Minimalist art, Bove often takes her materials straight from the urban landscape, creating fascinating and strange sculptures that have appeared in some of the country’s most notable art spots. With significant exhibitions in Museum of Modern Art and the Palais de Tokyo, her three decades of work are ready for a thorough overview. 5 March–2 August.

Matisse’s Jazz: Rhythms in Color

Those who know the book *The Body Keeps the Score* will be familiar with French master Henri Matisse’s cut-out *Icarus* – it’s actually one of 20 paper compositions that he paired with text and published as a book titled *Jazz* in 1947. In the coming season, a Midwestern museum exhibits all 20 of Matisse’s cut-paper maquettes – the first such showing since the museum obtained the works in 1948 – plus around 50 of Matisse’s other works. The cut paper works represented a late stage flowering for Matisse. March through early Summer.

Raphael: Sublime Poetry

The great artist Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino is ranked with Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo as the renowned masters of the Italian Renaissance – but he has seldom received a large-scale exhibition on US soil. A premier East Coast institution aims to rectify that with this massive exhibition. Raphael is well-known for masterpieces like his *Sistine Madonna* and *The School of Athens*. Featuring loans from all across 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 video installation by Taiwanese-American artist and director Shu Lea Cheang, a major figure in new media art. In keeping with most of her work, Cheang in this piece investigates the daily struggles of trans life. The installation is designed as a highly interactive piece, with audience members invited to interact with the four moveable screens that show the central film. Spring 2026 through early 2027.

Leilah Babirye

A Boston contemporary art center will feature new work from this artist, who was compelled to leave her native Uganda when her identity was revealed as a lesbian in 2015. Babirye is recognized for transforming unconventional materials to make intricate, queer-themed assemblages. This exhibition highlights recent pieces based on the theme of queer weddings. It extends her ongoing project of employing found items as a symbolic act of resistance. Late Summer 2026 into early 2027.

Taking Back Our Space: Body Language and Power

Building on the foundational research of west German feminist photographer Marianne Wex, who analyzed how men and women are socialized to use physical space differently, this exhibition examines how body language influences unconscious interaction. Wex’s research spanned art dating back to 2000 BC. In this presentation, Wex’s findings are both exhibited and put into conversation with the work of contemporary diverse artists. Fall 2026 into 2027.

Additional Highlights for 2026

In February, a Pacific Northwest institution celebrates the evocative shadow-based work of an emerging artist. Beginning 5 March, a prominent gallery is highlighting the work of rising Black artist Kwamé Azure Gomez. During the summer, the Crystal Bridges Museum reexamines 80s graffiti artist Keith Haring with a show of his sculptural works. In September, the Detroit Institute of Arts 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.