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From Renaissance masters to pop artists, modern visionaries alongside a major Latin American film-maker, art museums as well as galleries across the US have some dazzling shows on the horizon for 2026.

The Pop Art of Roy Lichtenstein

Announced several years ago during 2023, now just a placeholder listing on a major museum's online schedule, this major retrospective of a central creators of the Pop Art era comes with significant expectations. The museum will be drawing on its decades-old collection of close to 500 works from Lichtenstein, in addition to, one would imagine, numerous loans from institutions globally. Dates to be announced 2026.

Drawn to Venice and Monet and Venice

San Francisco sister institutions, one prestigious venue and deYoung, will be centering the Floating City with two interconnected exhibitions: one location presents a exploration of the city as a source of artistic inspiration throughout the centuries, while the other will focus on what impressionist Claude Monet made of the enchanting city of canals. The artist was daunted by the prospect of depicting Venice – a subject that had captivated the most revered artists for hundreds of years – yet he ultimately rose to the task, producing approximately 37 paintings, including the renowned work *The Grand Canal*. Winter through Summer and Spring into Summer.

Sueño Perro: a film installation by Alejandro G Iñárritu

Celebrating the 25th anniversary of his groundbreaking first feature, *Amores Perros*, filmmaker Alejandro G Iñárritu revisits over 1m ft of film that was left out of the released movie, crafting an immersive experience that doubles as a homage to film. Accounts suggest the director dug deep into the archives to create what he described as “a rebirth, not merely a tribute” of a cherished films. It's possible the installation will evoke a sense of optimism that pervades Iñárritu’s film despite the pain he simultaneously documents. 22 February-26 July.

Carol Bove

A major New York museum will give the mixed media sculpture and installation creator a comprehensive retrospective, starting with her initial pieces and progressing all the way up to a fresh collection of pieces made from found metal and steel tubing. Inspired by “the 1960s” and minimalism, Bove often takes her components straight from the city environment, producing intriguing and unusual constructions that have been displayed in some of the country’s most notable venues. With significant exhibitions in Museum of Modern Art and the Palais de Tokyo, her three decades of creation are ripe for a in-depth overview. Early Spring to Summer.

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

Anyone who know a certain publication *The Body Keeps the Score* will be familiar with French master Henri Matisse’s cut-out *Icarus* – this is actually one of 20 paper compositions that he combined with text and published as a book titled *Jazz* in 1947. This spring, a Midwestern museum exhibits all 20 of Matisse’s cut-paper maquettes – an unprecedented exhibition after the museum obtained the works in 1948 – as well as around 50 of Matisse’s other works. The cut paper works were part of a prolific final chapter for Matisse. 7 March-1 June.

Raphael: Master of the Renaissance

Italian master artist Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino stood alongside Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo as the renowned titans of the Italian Renaissance – but he has seldom been honored with a major show on US soil. New York’s Metropolitan Museum aims to rectify that with this landmark show. Raphael is well-known for masterpieces like his *Sistine Madonna* and *The School of Athens*. Featuring loans from all across Europe and more than 200 works total, this is poised as a blockbuster show. 29 March–28 June.

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

NYC’s queer art museum presents a major, large-scale film-based work by transmedia artist and film-maker Shu Lea Cheang, a prominent voice in new media art. In keeping with most of her work, Cheang in this piece investigates the everyday realities of trans life. Lover Love is designed as a very engaging piece, with audience members encouraged to interact with the multiple movable screens that display the central film. 2 April–January 2027.

Leilah Babirye: Reclamation and Defiance

The Institute of Contemporary Art Boston showcases new work from this artist, who was compelled to leave her home country of Uganda after being outed as a lesbian in 2015. Babirye is known for deconstructing discarded objects to make elaborate, queer-themed assemblages. This exhibition showcases new work based on the theme of same-sex marriage. It extends her longstanding practice of using found items as a symbolic act of defiance. Late Summer 2026 into early 2027.

Taking Back Our Space

Expanding upon the foundational research of west German feminist photographer Marianne Wex, who analyzed how men and women are conditioned to use physical space differently, this exhibition investigates how non-verbal communication 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 contemporary Black, queer, and feminist artists. 20 September–Spring 2027.

Additional Highlights for 2026

In February, the Seattle Art Museum celebrates the evocative silhouette art of an emerging artist. Beginning 5 March, a prominent gallery is highlighting the work of rising artist Kwamé Azure Gomez. In the summer months, an Arkansas museum revisits 80s graffiti artist Keith Haring with a show of his sculptural works. Come fall, the Detroit Institute of Arts will show a collection of the artist's architectural studies. Simultaneously, an Arizona venue exhibits the vibrant work of artist Kim Chong Hak.