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From Renaissance masters and pop artists, contemporary greats alongside a renowned Mexican director, galleries as well as galleries across the US have a series of spectacular shows coming up for 2026.

Roy Lichtenstein

Announced all the way back during 2023, now merely a placeholder listing on a major museum's website, this expansive survey of a central creators of the Pop Art era carries some pretty heavy expectations. The museum will be drawing on its long-held holdings of close to 500 pieces by Lichtenstein, in addition to, presumably, numerous borrowed works from collections around the world. TBD 2026.

Venetian Visions: From Old Masters to Monet

Bay Area sister institutions, the Legion of Honor and another, will be centering Venice with two interconnected exhibitions: the former museum will offer a celebration of the city as a source of high art for hundreds of years, and the latter zooms in on what impressionist Claude Monet made of the enchanting city of canals. The artist felt intimidated by the challenge of painting Venice – a theme that had inspired the world’s most esteemed artists for hundreds of years – but he eventually met the challenge, producing approximately 37 canvases, including the masterpiece *The Grand Canal*. 6 January-2 August and 21 March-26 July.

Sueño Perro: a film installation by Alejandro G Iñárritu

Marking the 25th anniversary of his massive first feature, *Amores Perros*, director Alejandro G Iñárritu returns to over a million feet of footage that never made it of the released movie, creating an art installation that also serves as a homage to celluloid. Accounts suggest the director delved into the archives to create what he described as “not a tribute, but a resurrection” of a cherished films. It's possible the installation will evoke a sense of optimism that runs through Iñárritu’s film in spite of the hardship he simultaneously documents. Late Winter through Summer.

Carol Bove

A major New York museum is dedicating the mixed media sculptor artist a comprehensive retrospective, starting with her early works and progressing all the way up to a new collection of pieces made from scrap metal and steel tubing. Inspired by “the 60s” and minimalism, Bove frequently sources her materials straight from the city environment, producing fascinating and strange sculptures that have appeared in some of the country’s most notable art spots. Having had significant exhibitions at the MoMA and a Parisian institution, her three decades of work are ripe for a thorough survey. 5 March–2 August.

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

Those who know a certain publication *The Body Keeps the Score* may recognize French master Henri Matisse’s papercut *Icarus* – this is in fact one of 20 paper compositions that he paired with text and bound into a book titled *Jazz* in 1947. This spring, a Midwestern museum will display the complete set of Matisse’s preparatory models – the first such showing after the museum obtained the works in 1948 – plus some 50 of Matisse’s other works. These creations represented a prolific final chapter for Matisse. 7 March-1 June.

Raphael: Master of the Renaissance

Italian master artist Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino is ranked with Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo as the celebrated titans of the Italian Renaissance – yet he has rarely been honored with a major show on American soil. New York’s Metropolitan Museum aims to rectify that with this massive exhibition. Raphael is famous for iconic works like his *Sistine Madonna* and *The School of Athens*. Featuring works from all across Europe and over 200 works in all, this is poised as a major event. 29 March–28 June.

Shu Lea Cheang: Lover Love

A New York Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art will host a major, large-scale film-based work by transmedia artist and film-maker Shu Lea Cheang, a major figure in new media art. In keeping with most of her work, Cheang in this piece explores the everyday realities of trans life. Lover Love promises to be a very engaging experience, with visitors invited 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 will feature recent creations from this artist, who was compelled to leave her home country of Uganda after being outed as a lesbian in 2015. Babirye is recognized for transforming discarded objects to make intricate, queer-themed sculptures. The show highlights recent pieces based on the theme of queer weddings. 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 socialized to use physical space differently, this show examines how non-verbal communication influences unspoken interaction. Wex’s studies included art as old as 2000 BC. In this presentation, Wex’s findings are displayed and juxtaposed with the work of modern Black, queer, and feminist artists. Fall 2026 into 2027.

And more …

In February, the Seattle Art Museum celebrates the haunting shadow-based work of an emerging artist. Starting 5 March, an art gallery is featuring the work of rising Black artist Kwamé Azure Gomez. During the summer, an Arkansas museum reexamines iconic pop artist Keith Haring through a show of his sculptural works. In September, a Michigan museum presents a collection of the artist's architecture paintings. And also in September, an Arizona venue displays the colorful work of artist Kim Chong Hak.