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Spanning Renaissance masters to contemporary icons, modern visionaries and even a major Mexican director, art museums and institutions throughout the US have a series of dazzling exhibitions on the horizon for 2026.

Roy Lichtenstein

Announced several years ago during 2023, now just a placeholder listing on The Whitney’s online schedule, this major retrospective of one of the central creators of the Pop Art era carries significant anticipation. The museum plans to utilize its decades-old collection of close to 500 works from Lichtenstein, in addition to, presumably, numerous borrowed works from collections around the world. Dates to be announced 2026.

Drawn to Venice and Monet and Venice

Bay Area sister institutions, the Legion of Honor along with deYoung, will focus on the Floating City with two interconnected exhibitions: one location will offer a celebration of the city as a source of artistic inspiration throughout the centuries, while the other will focus on what the Impressionist Claude Monet made of the romantic city of canals. The artist felt intimidated by the prospect of painting 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 paintings, 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 quarter-century of his groundbreaking first feature, *Amores Perros*, filmmaker Alejandro G Iñárritu revisits more than 1m ft of footage that was left out into the final cut, creating an immersive experience that also serves as a love letter to film. Reportedly the director dug deep 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 installation will evoke some of the hope that runs through Iñárritu’s film despite the pain he also chronicles. Late Winter through Summer.

Carol Bove

A major New York museum will give the mixed media sculptor artist a major career survey, starting with her early works and moving through to a fresh series of pieces fashioned from scrap metal and industrial materials. Drawing from “the 60s” and Minimalist art, Bove frequently sources her components straight from the urban landscape, creating fascinating and strange constructions that have appeared in prestigious art spots. With significant exhibitions in Museum of Modern Art and the Palais de Tokyo, her thirty years of creation are ripe for a thorough survey. Early Spring to Summer.

Matisse’s Jazz: Rhythms in Color

Those familiar with the book *The Body Keeps the Score* may recognize French master Henri Matisse’s cut-out *Icarus* – this is actually 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 will display the complete set of Matisse’s cut-paper maquettes – an unprecedented exhibition after the museum acquired the works in 1948 – plus some 50 of Matisse’s other works. These creations 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 celebrated titans of the Italian Renaissance – but he has rarely been honored with a large-scale exhibition on US soil. New York’s Metropolitan Museum aims to rectify that with this massive exhibition. Raphael is well-known for iconic works like his *Sistine Madonna* and *The School of Athens*. Featuring works from throughout Europe and more than 200 works in all, this promises to be a blockbuster show. 29 March–28 June.

Shu Lea Cheang: Lover Love

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 prominent voice in digital art. As with most of her work, Cheang here explores the everyday realities of trans life. The installation is designed as a highly interactive experience, with audience members invited to interact with the multiple movable screens that show the core footage. 2 April–January 2027.

Leilah Babirye

The Institute of Contemporary Art Boston will feature new work from this artist, who was forced to flee her home country of Uganda after being outed as a lesbian in 2015. Babirye is recognized for transforming discarded objects to make intricate, LGBTQ+-themed assemblages. This exhibition showcases recent pieces based on the concept of same-sex marriage. This continues her ongoing project of employing reclaimed materials as a symbolic act of resistance. 27 August–18 January 2027.

Taking Back Our Space: Body Language and Power

Building on the pioneering work of German feminist photographer Marianne Wex, who studied how men and women are conditioned to inhabit space differently, this exhibition examines how non-verbal communication shapes unspoken interaction. Wex’s research included art dating back to 2000 BC. In this presentation, Wex’s explorations are displayed and juxtaposed with the work of contemporary Black, queer, and feminist artists. 20 September–Spring 2027.

And more …

Early in the year, the Seattle Art Museum celebrates the haunting shadow-based work of an emerging artist. Beginning 5 March, a prominent gallery is highlighting the work of up and coming artist Kwamé Azure Gomez. In the summer months, the Crystal Bridges Museum revisits iconic pop artist Keith Haring with a show of his sculptural works. Come fall, a Michigan museum presents a selection of the artist's architectural studies. Simultaneously, an Arizona venue displays the colorful work of South Korean painter Kim Chong Hak.