The Most Exciting American Gallery Shows Arriving in 2026

Spanning old masters to contemporary icons, modern visionaries and even a renowned Mexican film-maker, galleries and institutions across the United States have some dazzling shows coming up in 2026.

Roy Lichtenstein

Announced all the way back during 2023, now just a mostly empty page on a major museum's online schedule, this expansive survey of a pioneering figures of the pop art movement carries some pretty heavy expectations. The institution plans to utilize its decades-old collection of nearly 500 works by Lichtenstein, in addition to, presumably, dozens borrowed works from collections globally. Dates to be announced 2026.

Drawn to Venice and Monet and Venice

San Francisco sister institutions, the Legion of Honor and deYoung, will focus on the Floating City through 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 will focus on what impressionist Claude Monet thought of the enchanting city of canals. The artist felt intimidated by the challenge of depicting Venice – a subject that had captivated the most revered artists for centuries – yet he ultimately met the challenge, creating some 37 paintings, among them the masterpiece *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*, filmmaker Alejandro G Iñárritu returns to over a million feet of footage that was left out of the final cut, crafting an immersive experience that doubles as a homage to celluloid. Accounts suggest the director dug deep into the vaults to create what he described as “not a tribute, but a resurrection” of a cherished films. It's possible the exhibit will instil a sense of optimism that runs through Iñárritu’s film despite the pain he simultaneously documents. 22 February-26 July.

The Sculptural World of Carol Bove

The Guggenheim will give the multidisciplinary sculptor creator a comprehensive retrospective, starting with her initial pieces and progressing through to a new collection of works fashioned from scrap metal and industrial materials. Inspired by “the 1960s” and Minimalist art, Bove frequently sources her components directly from the urban landscape, producing intriguing and unusual sculptures that have been displayed in some of the country’s most notable venues. Having had major shows in Museum of Modern Art and the Palais de Tokyo, Bove’s three decades of work are ready for a thorough overview. Early Spring to Summer.

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

Anyone familiar with a certain publication *The Body Keeps the Score* may recognize French master Henri Matisse’s cut-out *Icarus* – this is in fact one of 20 paper compositions that he combined with text and published as a book titled *Jazz* in 1947. This spring, a Midwestern museum will display the complete set of Matisse’s cut-paper maquettes – the first such showing after the museum obtained the works in 1948 – plus some 50 additional pieces by the artist. The cut paper works were part of a prolific final chapter for Matisse. 7 March-1 June.

Raphael: Master of the Renaissance

The great painter and architect Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino is ranked with Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo as the celebrated masters of the Italian Renaissance – but he has seldom been honored with a major show on US soil. A premier East Coast institution aims to rectify 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 in all, this is poised as a blockbuster show. Late March through June.

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

A New York queer art museum will host a major, large-scale video installation by Taiwanese-American artist and director Shu Lea Cheang, a prominent voice in digital art. In keeping with most of her work, Cheang in this piece investigates the daily struggles of trans life. The installation promises to be a highly interactive piece, with audience members invited to interact with the multiple movable screens that display the central film. 2 April–January 2027.

Leilah Babirye

A Boston contemporary art center showcases 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 discarded objects to make elaborate, queer-themed sculptures. This exhibition showcases new work based on the concept of same-sex marriage. This continues her ongoing project of using found items as a symbolic act of resistance. 27 August–18 January 2027.

Taking Back Our Space

Building on the foundational research of west German feminist photographer Marianne Wex, who studied how genders are socialized to inhabit space differently, this exhibition examines how body language influences unconscious interaction. Wex’s studies spanned art dating back to ancient sculptures. In this presentation, Wex’s explorations are displayed 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 showcases the haunting silhouette art of an emerging artist. Beginning 5 March, an art gallery is featuring the work of rising Black artist Kwamé Azure Gomez. During the summer, an Arkansas museum revisits iconic pop artist Keith Haring with a show of his sculptural works. Come fall, a Michigan museum will show a collection of the artist's architectural studies. And also in September, the Phoenix Art Museum displays the colorful work of artist Kim Chong Hak.