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From old masters to contemporary icons, modern visionaries alongside a major Mexican film-maker, galleries as well as galleries across the US are preparing some dazzling exhibitions coming up for 2026.

Roy Lichtenstein

First revealed several years ago during 2023, now merely a placeholder listing at The Whitney’s website, this expansive survey of one of the pioneering figures of the pop art movement comes with some pretty heavy anticipation. The institution plans to utilize its long-held collection of nearly 500 works by Lichtenstein, as well as, one would imagine, numerous loans from collections around the world. Dates to be announced 2026.

Venetian Visions: From Old Masters to Monet

Bay Area sister institutions, the Legion of Honor and another, will focus on the Floating City with two linked exhibitions: the former museum will offer a celebration of the city as a source of high art for hundreds of years, while the other zooms in on what impressionist Claude Monet thought of the romantic city of canals. Monet himself felt intimidated by the prospect of painting Venice – a subject that had inspired the world’s most esteemed artists for centuries – but he eventually rose to the task, producing some 37 paintings, including the renowned work *The Grand Canal*. 6 January-2 August and 21 March-26 July.

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

Celebrating the quarter-century of his groundbreaking first feature, *Amores Perros*, filmmaker Alejandro G Iñárritu returns to over 1m ft of footage that was left out of the final cut, crafting an immersive experience that also serves as a homage to film. Accounts suggest the director delved into the archives to create what he called “a rebirth, not merely a tribute” of a cherished films. Perhaps the exhibit will instil a sense of optimism that pervades Iñárritu’s film despite the pain he simultaneously documents. 22 February-26 July.

The Sculptural World of Carol Bove

A major New York museum will give the mixed media sculptor creator a major career survey, beginning with her early works and moving all the way up to a new series of pieces fashioned from found metal and industrial materials. Inspired by “the 1960s” and minimalism, Bove frequently sources her components straight from the city environment, creating intriguing and unusual sculptures that have appeared in prestigious art spots. With significant exhibitions at Museum of Modern Art and a Parisian institution, her thirty years of creation are ripe for a in-depth survey. Early Spring to Summer.

Matisse’s Jazz: Rhythms in Color

Those familiar with a certain publication *The Body Keeps the Score* will be familiar with French master Henri Matisse’s cut-out *Icarus* – this is in fact 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 will display the complete set of Matisse’s preparatory models – an unprecedented exhibition after the museum obtained the works in 1948 – as well as around 50 of Matisse’s other works. These creations represented a late stage flowering for Matisse. 7 March-1 June.

Raphael: Sublime Poetry

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 rarely received a major show 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*. With loans from all across Europe and more than 200 works in all, this promises to be a blockbuster show. 29 March–28 June.

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

A New York Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art presents a major, large-scale film-based work by transmedia artist and director Shu Lea Cheang, a major figure in digital art. As with much of her work, Cheang in this piece investigates the daily struggles of trans life. Lover Love is designed as a highly interactive piece, with visitors invited to interact with the four moveable screens that display the central film. 2 April–January 2027.

Leilah Babirye: Reclamation and Defiance

A Boston contemporary art center will feature recent creations 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 discarded objects to make intricate, queer-themed assemblages. This exhibition showcases recent pieces based on the theme of same-sex marriage. This continues her ongoing project of using found items as a meaningful gesture of resistance. Late Summer 2026 into early 2027.

Taking Back Our Space

Expanding upon the pioneering work of German feminist photographer Marianne Wex, who analyzed how men and women are socialized to inhabit space differently, this exhibition investigates how body language influences unconscious interaction. Wex’s research spanned art dating back to ancient sculptures. In this presentation, Wex’s explorations are both exhibited and put into conversation with the work of contemporary Black, queer, and feminist artists. 20 September–Spring 2027.

Additional Highlights for 2026

Early in the year, the Seattle Art Museum showcases the evocative shadow-based work of Samantha Yun Wall. Starting 5 March, an art gallery is featuring the work of up and coming Black artist Kwamé Azure Gomez. In the summer months, an Arkansas museum revisits 80s graffiti artist Keith Haring through a show of his sculptural works. In September, a Michigan museum will show a collection of Georgia O’Keefe’s architectural studies. And also in September, the Phoenix Art Museum exhibits the colorful work of South Korean painter Kim Chong Hak.