Unmissable US Gallery Shows Coming in 2026

Spanning old masters and contemporary icons, modern visionaries alongside a major Mexican film-maker, art museums and institutions across the United States have a series of spectacular exhibitions on the horizon in 2026.

The Pop Art of Roy Lichtenstein

Announced several years ago in 2023, and currently just a mostly empty page at a major museum's website, this expansive survey of a central creators of the Pop Art era carries significant expectations. The museum will be drawing on its long-held holdings of nearly 500 pieces from Lichtenstein, as well as, presumably, numerous borrowed works from collections globally. TBD 2026.

Drawn to Venice and Monet and Venice

Bay Area partner museums, one prestigious venue and deYoung, will focus on Venice with two linked shows: one location will offer a celebration of the city as an engine of high art for hundreds of years, and the latter zooms in on what impressionist Claude Monet thought of the enchanting city of canals. Monet himself was daunted by the prospect of depicting Venice – a theme that had inspired the most revered artists for centuries – but he eventually met the challenge, creating some 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

Marking the 25th anniversary of his massive debut film, *Amores Perros*, director Alejandro G Iñárritu returns to over a million feet of film that was left out of the released movie, creating an art installation that doubles as a love letter to film. Reportedly Iñárritu delved into the vaults to create what he described as “a rebirth, not merely a tribute” of a cherished films. Perhaps the exhibit will evoke some of the hope that runs through Iñárritu’s film despite the pain he simultaneously documents. 22 February-26 July.

Carol Bove

The Guggenheim is dedicating the multidisciplinary sculpture and installation artist a major career survey, starting with her early works and moving all the way up to a fresh series of works fashioned from scrap metal and steel tubing. Drawing from “the 60s” and Minimalist art, Bove often takes her materials directly from the city environment, producing intriguing and unusual sculptures that have been displayed in prestigious art spots. With major shows at the MoMA and a Parisian institution, her thirty years of work are ripe for a thorough survey. Early Spring to Summer.

Matisse’s Jazz: Rhythms in Color

Anyone familiar with the book *The Body Keeps the Score* will be familiar with French master Henri Matisse’s cut-out *Icarus* – this is in fact one of 20 cut-paper works that he combined with text and published as a volume titled *Jazz* in 1947. In the coming season, Chicago’s Art Institute will display all 20 of Matisse’s cut-paper maquettes – an unprecedented exhibition after the museum obtained the works in 1948 – plus around 50 of Matisse’s other works. These creations represented a prolific final chapter for Matisse. March through early Summer.

Raphael: Sublime Poetry

Italian master painter and architect Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino is ranked with Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo as the renowned titans of the Italian Renaissance – but he has rarely been honored with a major show on US soil. A premier East Coast institution seeks to change that with this massive exhibition. Raphael is famous for masterpieces 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 major event. Late March through June.

Shu Lea Cheang: Lover Love

NYC’s 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 digital art. In keeping with most of her work, Cheang in this piece explores the daily struggles of transgender existence. The installation is designed as a highly interactive piece, with audience members invited to interact with the multiple movable screens that display the core footage. 2 April–January 2027.

Leilah Babirye: Reclamation and Defiance

The Institute of Contemporary Art Boston will feature recent creations from this artist, who was forced to flee her home country of Uganda after being outed as a lesbian in 2015. Babirye is known for deconstructing unconventional materials to make intricate, LGBTQ+-themed sculptures. The show showcases new work based on the theme of same-sex marriage. It extends her longstanding practice of using reclaimed materials as a meaningful gesture of defiance. 27 August–18 January 2027.

Taking Back Our Space: Body Language and Power

Expanding upon the pioneering work of west German feminist photographer Marianne Wex, who analyzed how men and women are socialized to use physical space differently, this exhibition examines how body language shapes unconscious interaction. Wex’s studies included art dating back to 2000 BC. In this presentation, Wex’s findings are displayed and juxtaposed with the work of contemporary diverse artists. 20 September–Spring 2027.

Additional Highlights for 2026

Early in the year, a Pacific Northwest institution celebrates the evocative silhouette art of Samantha Yun Wall. Starting 5 March, an art gallery is featuring the work of rising artist an innovative creator. During the summer, the Crystal Bridges Museum revisits 80s graffiti artist Keith Haring through a show of his sculptural works. In September, a Michigan museum presents a selection of Georgia O’Keefe’s architecture paintings. Simultaneously, an Arizona venue exhibits the vibrant work of South Korean painter Kim Chong Hak.