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Spanning Renaissance masters and pop artists, contemporary greats alongside a renowned Latin American film-maker, art museums as well as institutions across the US have a series of spectacular shows coming up in 2026.

The Pop Art of Roy Lichtenstein

Announced all the way back in 2023, and currently merely a mostly empty page at a major museum's online schedule, this expansive survey of a central creators of the Pop Art era comes with some pretty heavy expectations. The institution plans to utilize its long-held holdings of nearly 500 works by Lichtenstein, as well as, presumably, dozens loans from institutions around the world. Dates to be announced 2026.

Venetian Visions: From Old Masters to Monet

Bay Area sister institutions, one prestigious venue and another, will be centering Venice with two interconnected exhibitions: the former museum will offer a exploration of the city as a source of artistic inspiration for hundreds of years, and the latter zooms in on what the Impressionist Claude Monet thought of the enchanting city of canals. Monet himself was daunted by the challenge of painting Venice – a subject that had captivated the most revered artists for hundreds of years – but he eventually rose to the task, producing some 37 canvases, including the masterpiece *The Grand Canal*. Winter through Summer and 21 March-26 July.

Sueño Perro: a film installation by Alejandro G Iñárritu

Marking the 25th anniversary of his groundbreaking first feature, *Amores Perros*, director Alejandro G Iñárritu revisits over a million feet of film that never made it into the released movie, crafting an art installation that doubles as a love letter to celluloid. Accounts suggest the director dug deep into the archives to create what he called “a rebirth, not merely a tribute” of a cherished films. Perhaps the installation will instil some of the hope that runs through Iñárritu’s film despite the pain he also chronicles. Late Winter through Summer.

Carol Bove

The Guggenheim is dedicating the multidisciplinary sculptor artist a comprehensive retrospective, starting with her early works and moving all the way up to a new series of works fashioned from found metal and industrial materials. Drawing from “the 1960s” and Minimalist art, Bove often takes her components straight from the city environment, producing fascinating and strange constructions that have appeared in some of the country’s most notable venues. With major shows in Museum of Modern Art and the Palais de Tokyo, her thirty years of work are ready for a in-depth overview. 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 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 will display all 20 of Matisse’s preparatory models – an unprecedented exhibition after the museum acquired the works in 1948 – plus some 50 of Matisse’s other works. These creations were part of a prolific final chapter for Matisse. 7 March-1 June.

Raphael: Sublime Poetry

The great artist Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino stood alongside Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo as the celebrated masters of Renaissance Italy – yet he has seldom been honored with a major show on American soil. A premier East Coast institution aims to rectify that with this landmark show. Raphael is famous for masterpieces like his *Sistine Madonna* and *The School of Athens*. Featuring loans from all across Europe and more than 200 works in all, this is poised as a blockbuster show. 29 March–28 June.

Shu Lea Cheang: Lover Love

NYC’s queer art museum presents a major, large-scale film-based work by transmedia artist and director Shu Lea Cheang, a prominent voice in new media art. In keeping with most of her work, Cheang in this piece explores the everyday realities of transgender existence. Lover Love promises to be a very engaging piece, with visitors invited to interact with the multiple movable screens that display the central film. 2 April–January 2027.

Leilah Babirye

The Institute of Contemporary Art Boston will feature 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 deconstructing unconventional materials to make elaborate, queer-themed assemblages. This exhibition showcases recent pieces based on the concept of same-sex marriage. It extends her longstanding practice of employing found items as a meaningful gesture of defiance. 27 August–18 January 2027.

Taking Back Our Space

Expanding upon the pioneering work of west German feminist photographer Marianne Wex, who analyzed how genders are socialized to inhabit space differently, this show investigates how body language influences unspoken interaction. Wex’s studies spanned art dating back to ancient sculptures. Here, Wex’s explorations are displayed and put into conversation with the work of contemporary Black, queer, and feminist artists. 20 September–Spring 2027.

And more …

In February, a Pacific Northwest institution showcases the evocative shadow-based work of an emerging artist. Starting 5 March, an art gallery is highlighting the work of rising artist Kwamé Azure Gomez. During the summer, an Arkansas museum reexamines 80s graffiti artist Keith Haring with a show of his sculptural works. In September, the Detroit Institute of Arts will show a selection of Georgia O’Keefe’s architectural studies. And also in September, the Phoenix Art Museum displays the vibrant work of South Korean painter Kim Chong Hak.