Unmissable American Gallery Shows Coming in 2026

Spanning Renaissance masters and pop artists, contemporary greats and even a renowned Mexican director, art museums as well as institutions throughout the US have a series of dazzling exhibitions coming up for 2026.

Roy Lichtenstein

First revealed several years ago in 2023, and currently merely a mostly empty page at a major museum's online schedule, this major retrospective of a central creators of the Pop Art era carries significant anticipation. The museum will be drawing on its long-held holdings of nearly 500 works from Lichtenstein, in addition to, one would imagine, dozens borrowed works from collections around the world. TBD 2026.

Venetian Visions: From Old Masters to Monet

Bay Area sister institutions, one prestigious venue along with another, will focus on Venice with two linked shows: one location presents a exploration of the city as an engine of high art for hundreds of years, while the other will focus on what the Impressionist Claude Monet made of the romantic city of canals. The artist felt intimidated by the challenge of painting Venice – a theme that had captivated the world’s most esteemed artists for centuries – yet he ultimately rose to the task, creating some 37 paintings, among them the renowned work *The Grand Canal*. 6 January-2 August and 21 March-26 July.

Sueño Perro: a film installation by Alejandro G Iñárritu

Marking the quarter-century of his groundbreaking debut film, *Amores Perros*, director Alejandro G Iñárritu returns to over a million feet of film that was left out of the final cut, crafting an art installation that also serves as a love letter to film. Reportedly the director delved into the vaults to create what he described as “not a tribute, but a resurrection” of one of his most beloved films. Perhaps the installation will evoke some of the hope that runs through Iñárritu’s film despite the hardship he simultaneously documents. 22 February-26 July.

The Sculptural World of Carol Bove

The Guggenheim will give the multidisciplinary sculpture and installation artist a major career survey, beginning with her initial pieces and moving through to a new collection of works fashioned from found metal and steel tubing. Drawing from “the 1960s” and minimalism, Bove frequently sources her materials straight from the urban landscape, creating fascinating and strange constructions that have been displayed in prestigious venues. With significant exhibitions in the MoMA and a Parisian institution, her thirty years of creation are ready for a in-depth overview. Early Spring to Summer.

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

Those familiar with a certain publication *The Body Keeps the Score* will be familiar with French master Henri Matisse’s papercut *Icarus* – this is in fact one of 20 paper compositions that he paired with text and published as a book titled *Jazz* in 1947. In the coming season, Chicago’s Art Institute will display all 20 of Matisse’s cut-paper maquettes – the first such showing after the museum obtained the works in 1948 – as well as 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 is ranked with Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo as the celebrated masters of Renaissance Italy – yet he has seldom received a major show on American soil. New York’s Metropolitan Museum seeks to change that with this massive exhibition. Raphael is famous for masterpieces like his *Sistine Madonna* and *The School of Athens*. Featuring works from throughout Europe and more than 200 works in all, this promises to be a major event. 29 March–28 June.

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

A New York Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art will host a significant and immersive film-based work by transmedia artist and film-maker Shu Lea Cheang, a prominent voice in new media art. As with much of her work, Cheang in this piece explores the everyday realities of transgender existence. Lover Love is designed as a highly interactive piece, with audience members encouraged to interact with the multiple movable screens that show the central film. 2 April–January 2027.

Leilah Babirye

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 transforming discarded objects to make intricate, LGBTQ+-themed sculptures. The show showcases recent pieces based on the theme of same-sex marriage. It extends her ongoing project of employing reclaimed materials as a symbolic act of defiance. 27 August–18 January 2027.

Taking Back Our Space

Expanding upon the pioneering work of German feminist photographer Marianne Wex, who studied how men and women are conditioned to inhabit space differently, this exhibition examines how non-verbal communication influences unconscious interaction. Wex’s studies included art dating back to 2000 BC. In this presentation, Wex’s findings are both exhibited and juxtaposed with the work of contemporary Black, queer, and feminist artists. 20 September–Spring 2027.

Additional Highlights for 2026

In February, the Seattle Art Museum celebrates the evocative shadow-based work of Samantha Yun Wall. Starting 5 March, a prominent gallery is highlighting the work of rising Black artist Kwamé Azure Gomez. In the summer months, the Crystal Bridges Museum revisits iconic pop artist Keith Haring through a show of his sculptural works. In September, the Detroit Institute of Arts presents a collection of Georgia O’Keefe’s architectural studies. Simultaneously, the Phoenix Art Museum exhibits the colorful work of South Korean painter Kim Chong Hak.