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Spanning old masters and contemporary icons, contemporary greats and even a renowned Mexican film-maker, galleries and galleries across the United States are preparing some dazzling shows on the horizon in 2026.

Roy Lichtenstein

Announced several years ago in 2023, now just a mostly empty page at The Whitney’s website, this expansive survey of a central creators of the Pop Art era comes with some pretty heavy anticipation. The institution will be drawing on its decades-old holdings of close to 500 pieces from Lichtenstein, as well as, presumably, numerous loans from institutions around the world. Dates to be announced 2026.

Venetian Visions: From Old Masters to Monet

San Francisco sister institutions, the Legion of Honor along with another, will focus on Venice through two linked shows: the former museum presents a exploration of the city as a source of artistic inspiration 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 theme that had inspired the most revered artists for hundreds of years – yet he ultimately met the challenge, creating approximately 37 canvases, among them the masterpiece *The Grand Canal*. 6 January-2 August and Spring into Summer.

Sueño Perro: a film installation by Alejandro G Iñárritu

Celebrating the quarter-century of his massive debut film, *Amores Perros*, director Alejandro G Iñárritu returns to over a million feet of footage that was left out into the released movie, creating an immersive experience that also serves as a love letter to film. Reportedly Iñárritu delved into the archives to create what he described as “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 pervades Iñárritu’s film in spite of the hardship he also chronicles. Late Winter through Summer.

Carol Bove

The Guggenheim is dedicating the mixed media sculpture and installation artist a comprehensive retrospective, starting with her early works and progressing all the way up to a new series of pieces fashioned from found metal and steel tubing. Inspired by “the 60s” and minimalism, Bove often sources her materials straight from the city environment, creating fascinating and strange sculptures that have appeared in some of the country’s most notable art spots. Having had significant exhibitions at Museum of Modern Art and the Palais de Tokyo, her three decades of creation are ripe for a thorough 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 volume titled *Jazz* in 1947. In the coming season, a Midwestern museum will display all 20 of Matisse’s cut-paper maquettes – the first such showing after the museum obtained the works in 1948 – plus some 50 of Matisse’s other works. The cut paper works were part of a late stage flowering for Matisse. March through early Summer.

Raphael: Master of the Renaissance

Italian master artist Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino stood alongside Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo as the renowned masters of Renaissance Italy – yet he has rarely received a major show on US soil. New York’s Metropolitan Museum seeks to change that with this landmark show. Raphael is famous for iconic works 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: Lover Love

NYC’s Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art presents a significant and immersive film-based work by transmedia artist and director Shu Lea Cheang, a prominent voice in digital art. In keeping with most of her work, Cheang here explores the everyday realities of trans life. The installation is designed as a very engaging experience, with visitors invited to play around with the four moveable screens that show the central film. Spring 2026 through early 2027.

Leilah Babirye: Reclamation and Defiance

A Boston contemporary art center 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 transforming discarded objects to make intricate, queer-themed assemblages. The show showcases recent pieces based on the theme of same-sex marriage. It extends her longstanding practice of employing found items as a symbolic act 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 genders are socialized to use physical space differently, this exhibition examines how body language shapes unconscious interaction. Wex’s research spanned art as old as ancient sculptures. In this presentation, Wex’s findings are both exhibited and put into conversation with the work of modern diverse artists. 20 September–Spring 2027.

And more …

In February, a Pacific Northwest institution celebrates the evocative shadow-based work of an emerging artist. Starting 5 March, an art gallery is featuring the work of rising Black artist an innovative creator. During the summer, the Crystal Bridges Museum revisits iconic pop artist Keith Haring with a show of his sculptural works. Come fall, a Michigan museum presents a collection of the artist's architectural studies. Simultaneously, an Arizona venue displays the colorful work of artist Kim Chong Hak.