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From Renaissance masters to pop artists, contemporary greats and even a major Mexican film-maker, galleries and galleries throughout the US have some dazzling shows coming up for 2026.

Roy Lichtenstein

Announced all the way back during 2023, and currently merely a mostly empty page at a major museum's website, this expansive survey of a pioneering figures of the Pop Art era comes with some pretty heavy expectations. The museum will be drawing on its long-held holdings of close to 500 works from Lichtenstein, as well as, presumably, numerous borrowed works from collections around the world. Dates to be announced 2026.

Venetian Visions: From Old Masters to Monet

Bay Area 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 an engine of high art for hundreds of years, and the latter will focus on what the Impressionist Claude Monet thought of the romantic city of canals. The artist was daunted by the challenge of depicting Venice – a subject that had inspired the most revered artists for centuries – but he eventually rose to the task, producing some 37 canvases, among them the masterpiece *The Grand Canal*. Winter through Summer and 21 March-26 July.

Sueño Perro: a film installation by Alejandro G Iñárritu

Celebrating the 25th anniversary of his groundbreaking first feature, *Amores Perros*, director Alejandro G Iñárritu returns to more than a million feet of footage that never made it into the released movie, crafting an immersive experience that doubles as a homage to film. Accounts suggest Iñárritu delved into the archives to create what he called “not a tribute, but a resurrection” of a cherished films. It's possible the exhibit will instil some of the hope 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 creator a comprehensive retrospective, beginning with her early works and moving all the way up to a fresh series of pieces fashioned from scrap metal and steel tubing. Drawing from “the 1960s” and Minimalist art, Bove frequently takes her components straight from the city environment, producing fascinating and strange constructions that have been displayed in some of the country’s most notable art spots. Having had major shows at the MoMA and a Parisian institution, her three decades of creation are ripe for a thorough survey. Early Spring to Summer.

Matisse’s Jazz: Rhythms in Color

Anyone familiar with a certain publication *The Body Keeps the Score* may recognize French master Henri Matisse’s papercut *Icarus* – it’s actually one of 20 paper compositions that he combined with text and published as a volume titled *Jazz* in 1947. This spring, Chicago’s Art Institute exhibits all 20 of Matisse’s cut-paper maquettes – an unprecedented exhibition after the museum acquired the works in 1948 – plus some 50 additional pieces by the artist. The cut paper works were part of a prolific final chapter for Matisse. 7 March-1 June.

Raphael: Sublime Poetry

Italian master painter and architect Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino is ranked with Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo as the renowned titans of Renaissance Italy – but he has rarely been honored with 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*. With works from all across Europe and more than 200 works in all, this is poised as a blockbuster show. 29 March–28 June.

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

A New York queer art museum presents a significant and immersive film-based work by transmedia artist and film-maker Shu Lea Cheang, a prominent voice in digital art. In keeping with most of her work, Cheang here investigates the daily struggles of transgender existence. Lover Love is designed as a highly interactive piece, with audience members encouraged to interact with the four moveable screens that display the central film. Spring 2026 through early 2027.

Leilah Babirye: Reclamation and Defiance

The Institute of Contemporary Art Boston will feature new work 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 unconventional materials to make elaborate, LGBTQ+-themed assemblages. This exhibition highlights new work based on the theme of same-sex marriage. This continues her longstanding practice of employing reclaimed materials as a meaningful gesture of resistance. Late Summer 2026 into early 2027.

Taking Back Our Space

Building on the pioneering work of west German feminist photographer Marianne Wex, who analyzed how men and women are conditioned to inhabit space differently, this show investigates how body language shapes unspoken interaction. Wex’s studies spanned art dating back to 2000 BC. Here, Wex’s findings are both exhibited and put into conversation with the work of contemporary diverse artists. 20 September–Spring 2027.

And more …

Early in the year, a Pacific Northwest institution celebrates the evocative shadow-based work of Samantha Yun Wall. Starting 5 March, an art gallery is highlighting the work of rising artist Kwamé Azure Gomez. In the summer months, the Crystal Bridges Museum revisits 80s graffiti artist Keith Haring with a show of his sculptural works. In September, a Michigan museum presents a selection of Georgia O’Keefe’s architectural studies. Simultaneously, an Arizona venue exhibits the colorful work of artist Kim Chong Hak.