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From old masters to contemporary icons, contemporary greats and even a major Latin American director, art museums and institutions across the United States have some spectacular shows on the horizon in 2026.

The Pop Art of Roy Lichtenstein

Announced several years ago in 2023, now merely a mostly empty page at The Whitney’s website, this major retrospective of a central creators of the Pop Art era carries significant anticipation. The institution will be drawing on its long-held collection of nearly 500 pieces from Lichtenstein, in addition to, one would imagine, dozens loans from institutions globally. Dates to be announced 2026.

Venetian Visions: From Old Masters to Monet

Bay Area sister institutions, one prestigious venue along with another, will focus on Venice with two linked exhibitions: the former museum presents a exploration of the city as an engine of high art for hundreds of years, while the other zooms in on what the Impressionist Claude Monet made of the enchanting city of canals. The artist was daunted by the prospect of painting Venice – a subject that had inspired the most revered artists for centuries – but he eventually met the challenge, creating approximately 37 paintings, including the masterpiece *The Grand Canal*. Winter through Summer and 21 March-26 July.

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

Marking the quarter-century of his massive debut film, *Amores Perros*, director Alejandro G Iñárritu revisits more than a million feet of film that never made it of the released movie, crafting an art installation that doubles as a love letter to celluloid. Accounts suggest the director delved into the archives to create what he called “not a tribute, but a resurrection” of one of his most beloved films. It's possible the exhibit will evoke some of the hope that runs through Iñárritu’s film despite the pain he simultaneously documents. Late Winter through Summer.

The Sculptural World of Carol Bove

The Guggenheim is dedicating the mixed media sculptor creator a major career survey, starting with her early works and moving all the way up to a new collection of works fashioned from scrap metal and industrial materials. Drawing from “the 1960s” and Minimalist art, Bove often sources her components straight from the city environment, creating intriguing and unusual constructions that have appeared in some of the country’s most notable art spots. With major shows in Museum of Modern Art and the Palais de Tokyo, Bove’s thirty years of work are ready 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 cut-out *Icarus* – this is in fact 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 since the museum obtained the works in 1948 – as well as some 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 stood alongside Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo as the celebrated masters of the Italian Renaissance – yet he has seldom received a major show on American 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 works from all across Europe and more than 200 works in all, this promises to be a blockbuster show. Late March through June.

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

A New York Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art will host a major, large-scale film-based work by Taiwanese-American artist and director Shu Lea Cheang, a major figure in digital art. As with most of her work, Cheang in this piece investigates the everyday realities of transgender existence. The installation promises to be a very engaging piece, with audience members encouraged to interact with the multiple movable screens that display the central film. Spring 2026 through early 2027.

Leilah Babirye

The Institute of Contemporary Art Boston showcases recent creations from this artist, who was compelled to leave her native Uganda when her identity was revealed as a lesbian in 2015. Babirye is known for transforming discarded objects to make intricate, queer-themed assemblages. This exhibition showcases new work based on the theme of same-sex marriage. This continues her ongoing project of employing reclaimed materials as a meaningful gesture of resistance. 27 August–18 January 2027.

Taking Back Our Space: Body Language and Power

Expanding upon the foundational research of German feminist photographer Marianne Wex, who studied how men and women are socialized to inhabit space differently, this exhibition investigates how body language shapes unconscious interaction. Wex’s studies included art as old as 2000 BC. In this presentation, Wex’s explorations are both exhibited and put into conversation with the work of modern diverse artists. Fall 2026 into 2027.

Additional Highlights for 2026

In February, the Seattle Art Museum showcases the evocative shadow-based work of Samantha Yun Wall. Beginning 5 March, a prominent gallery is featuring the work of up and coming Black artist an innovative creator. During the summer, an Arkansas museum reexamines iconic pop artist Keith Haring through a show of his three-dimensional works. In September, a Michigan museum will show a collection of Georgia O’Keefe’s architectural studies. Simultaneously, the Phoenix Art Museum exhibits the colorful work of artist Kim Chong Hak.