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From Renaissance masters to contemporary icons, contemporary greats alongside a renowned Latin American film-maker, galleries as well as institutions across the United States are preparing a series of dazzling shows coming up in 2026.

The Pop Art of Roy Lichtenstein

Announced all the way back during 2023, now merely a placeholder listing at The Whitney’s online schedule, this major retrospective of a pioneering figures of the pop art movement comes with significant anticipation. The institution plans to utilize its decades-old collection of nearly 500 works by Lichtenstein, in addition to, presumably, numerous borrowed works from institutions globally. Dates to be announced 2026.

Drawn to Venice and Monet and Venice

San Francisco sister institutions, the Legion of Honor along with another, will be centering the Floating City through two interconnected shows: one location presents a celebration of the city as a source of high art throughout the centuries, 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 depicting Venice – a subject that had captivated the most revered artists for centuries – yet he ultimately met the challenge, creating approximately 37 canvases, among them the renowned work *The Grand Canal*. Winter through Summer and Spring into Summer.

Sueño Perro: a film installation by Alejandro G Iñárritu

Celebrating the quarter-century of his groundbreaking debut film, *Amores Perros*, director Alejandro G Iñárritu returns to more than 1m ft of film that was left out into the final cut, creating an immersive experience that doubles as a love letter to film. Accounts suggest the director dug deep into the vaults to create what he called “a rebirth, not merely a tribute” of a cherished films. Perhaps the installation will evoke some of the hope that pervades Iñárritu’s film despite the pain he also chronicles. Late Winter through Summer.

The Sculptural World of Carol Bove

A major New York museum is dedicating the multidisciplinary sculpture and installation artist a major career survey, beginning with her early works and progressing through to a fresh series of works made from found metal and industrial materials. Inspired by “the 1960s” and Minimalist art, Bove frequently takes her materials straight from the city environment, creating intriguing and unusual sculptures that have appeared in some of the country’s most notable art spots. Having had major shows at Museum of Modern Art and the Palais de Tokyo, her thirty years of work are ready for a thorough survey. 5 March–2 August.

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

Anyone who know a certain publication *The Body Keeps the Score* may recognize French master Henri Matisse’s cut-out *Icarus* – this is actually one of 20 cut-paper works that he combined with text and published as a volume titled *Jazz* in 1947. This spring, a Midwestern museum exhibits all 20 of Matisse’s preparatory models – the first such showing after the museum obtained the works in 1948 – plus around 50 of Matisse’s other works. These creations were part of a prolific final chapter for Matisse. 7 March-1 June.

Raphael: Sublime Poetry

Italian master painter and architect Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino stood alongside Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo as the renowned masters of Renaissance Italy – but he has seldom been honored with a major show on US soil. New York’s Metropolitan Museum aims to rectify that with this massive exhibition. Raphael is well-known for masterpieces like his *Sistine Madonna* and *The School of Athens*. Featuring works from throughout Europe and more than 200 works total, this is poised as a major event. Late March through June.

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

NYC’s queer art museum will host a significant and immersive video installation by transmedia artist and film-maker Shu Lea Cheang, a prominent voice in new media art. As with most of her work, Cheang in this piece explores the everyday realities of transgender existence. The installation is designed as a very engaging experience, with audience members encouraged to play around 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 showcases new work from this artist, who was forced to flee her home country of Uganda when her identity was revealed as a lesbian in 2015. Babirye is known for transforming discarded objects to make elaborate, queer-themed assemblages. The show showcases new work based on the concept of queer weddings. This continues her longstanding practice of using found items 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 show investigates how body language shapes unconscious interaction. Wex’s studies spanned art as old as 2000 BC. Here, Wex’s explorations are both exhibited and put into conversation with the work of modern diverse artists. 20 September–Spring 2027.

And more …

Early in the year, the Seattle Art Museum showcases the haunting shadow-based work of Samantha Yun Wall. Beginning 5 March, an art gallery is highlighting the work of rising artist Kwamé Azure Gomez. In the summer months, the Crystal Bridges Museum reexamines iconic pop artist Keith Haring through a show of his sculptural works. Come fall, the Detroit Institute of Arts will show a selection of Georgia O’Keefe’s architectural studies. Simultaneously, an Arizona venue displays the colorful work of artist Kim Chong Hak.