From old masters and pop artists, contemporary greats alongside a renowned Mexican director, art museums and institutions across the US have a series of spectacular exhibitions coming up for 2026.
First revealed several years ago in 2023, and currently just a placeholder listing on a major museum's online schedule, this major retrospective of one of the central creators of the Pop Art era carries some pretty heavy expectations. The museum will be drawing on its long-held collection of nearly 500 works from Lichtenstein, in addition to, one would imagine, numerous borrowed works from institutions around the world. Dates to be announced 2026.
Bay Area partner museums, the Legion of Honor along with another, will be centering Venice through two interconnected shows: the former museum presents a celebration of the city as an engine of high art for hundreds of years, and the latter will focus on what impressionist Claude Monet made of the romantic city of canals. The artist felt intimidated by the prospect of depicting Venice – a theme that had inspired the most revered artists for hundreds of years – yet he ultimately met the challenge, creating some 37 canvases, including the renowned work *The Grand Canal*. Winter through Summer and 21 March-26 July.
Celebrating the quarter-century of his groundbreaking debut film, *Amores Perros*, filmmaker Alejandro G Iñárritu revisits over 1m ft of film that was left out into the released movie, creating an immersive experience that doubles as a homage to celluloid. Accounts suggest Iñárritu dug deep into the vaults 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 instil some of the hope that runs through Iñárritu’s film in spite of the hardship he also chronicles. Late Winter through Summer.
A major New York museum is dedicating the mixed media sculptor artist a comprehensive retrospective, beginning with her early works and progressing all the way up to a new series of works made from found metal and industrial materials. Drawing from “the 1960s” and Minimalist art, Bove frequently takes her components directly from the urban landscape, creating fascinating and strange sculptures that have been displayed in prestigious venues. With significant exhibitions at Museum of Modern Art and the Palais de Tokyo, her three decades of work are ripe for a thorough overview. 5 March–2 August.
Anyone familiar with a certain publication *The Body Keeps the Score* may recognize French master Henri Matisse’s cut-out *Icarus* – it’s actually one of 20 cut-paper works that he paired with text and bound into a volume titled *Jazz* in 1947. This spring, a Midwestern museum exhibits the complete set of Matisse’s preparatory models – the first such showing after the museum acquired the works in 1948 – as well as around 50 additional pieces by the artist. These creations represented a prolific final chapter for Matisse. 7 March-1 June.
The great painter and architect Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino stood alongside Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo as the renowned titans of the Italian Renaissance – yet he has rarely been honored with 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*. With loans from throughout Europe and more than 200 works total, this promises to be a major event. Late March through June.
A New York queer art museum will host a major, large-scale film-based work by Taiwanese-American artist and director Shu Lea Cheang, a prominent voice in new media art. In keeping with much of her work, Cheang here explores the everyday realities of trans life. The installation promises to be a very engaging piece, with audience members encouraged to play around with the multiple movable screens that display the core footage. Spring 2026 through early 2027.
The Institute of Contemporary Art Boston will feature new work from this artist, who was compelled to leave her native Uganda after being outed as a lesbian in 2015. Babirye is known for transforming discarded objects to make intricate, queer-themed sculptures. The show showcases recent pieces based on the concept of queer weddings. This continues her ongoing project of employing found items as a symbolic act of defiance. 27 August–18 January 2027.
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 investigates how non-verbal communication influences unconscious interaction. Wex’s research spanned art as old as 2000 BC. In this presentation, Wex’s explorations are both exhibited and put into conversation with the work of modern Black, queer, and feminist artists. Fall 2026 into 2027.
Early in the year, a Pacific Northwest institution showcases the haunting shadow-based work of Samantha Yun Wall. Starting 5 March, a prominent gallery is highlighting the work of rising artist Kwamé Azure Gomez. In the summer months, an Arkansas museum reexamines 80s graffiti artist Keith Haring through a show of his three-dimensional works. In September, a Michigan museum will show a selection of Georgia O’Keefe’s architecture paintings. Simultaneously, the Phoenix Art Museum exhibits the colorful work of South Korean painter Kim Chong Hak.
