The American art scene is poised for a spectacular year in 2026, with museums and galleries across the country preparing a dazzling array of exhibitions. From long-awaited retrospectives of pop art icons and Renaissance masters to provocative contemporary installations, the calendar promises something for every art enthusiast.
Blockbuster Retrospectives and Old Masters
One of the most anticipated events is a major retrospective of Roy Lichtenstein at the Whitney Museum of American Art. Announced in 2023, this survey of the Pop Art pioneer will draw on the Whitney's own collection of nearly 500 works, supplemented by international loans. It represents a deep dive into the career of an artist who defined a movement.
In a rare treat for American audiences, New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art will host 'Raphael: Sublime Poetry'. This landmark exhibition, featuring over 200 works borrowed from across Europe, aims to rectify the relative lack of major US shows dedicated to the Italian Renaissance master, renowned for works like the Sistine Madonna and The School of Athens.
Meanwhile, the Art Institute of Chicago will present a special focus on Henri Matisse's late-period brilliance with 'Matisse’s Jazz: Rhythms in Color'. The exhibition will display all 20 of the vibrant cut-paper maquettes from his 1947 book Jazz—the first such showing since the museum acquired them in 1948—alongside approximately 50 of his other works.
Contemporary Voices and Thematic Explorations
The Guggenheim Museum will stage a comprehensive career survey for mixed-media sculptor Carol Bove. Tracing her evolution from early works to recent creations fashioned from scrap metal and steel tubing, the show highlights an artist deeply inspired by minimalism and the 1960s, whose work has graced spaces from the High Line to the Venice Biennale.
New media art takes centre stage at NYC's Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art with 'Shu Lea Cheang: Lover Love'. This large-scale, interactive video installation by the Taiwanese-American artist and filmmaker explores the realities of trans life and threats to gender non-conforming individuals, inviting visitors to engage with four movable screens.
At the Institute of Contemporary Art Boston, Leilah Babirye will present new sculptures centred on the theme of queer weddings. Forced to flee Uganda in 2015, Babirye's practice of transforming reclaimed materials into elaborate works stands as a powerful act of defiance against global LGBTQ+ stigmatisation.
Further Notable Exhibitions Across the US
The exhibition schedule for 2026 is remarkably diverse. Key highlights include:
- San Francisco's Dual Venetian Focus: The Legion of Honor and deYoung museums will host interconnected shows on Venice. One celebrates the city's artistic legacy, while the other focuses on Claude Monet's response to its canals, featuring works like The Grand Canal.
- MoMA's Feminist Investigation: Building on German photographer Marianne Wex's seminal study of gendered body language, 'Taking Back Our Space' will juxtapose her work with that of contemporary Black, queer, and feminist artists.
- Alejandro G. Iñárritu's Film Installation: Marking 25 years since Amores Perros, the director will create an installation from over a million feet of unused footage, offering what he calls a "resurrection" of his debut film.
Other significant shows feature the silhouette art of Samantha Yun Wall in Seattle, new paintings by Kwamé Azure Gomez in New York, a Keith Haring 3D works exhibition in Arkansas, Georgia O'Keeffe's architecture paintings in Detroit, and a showcase of South Korean painter Kim Chong Hak in Phoenix.
With this rich and varied programme, 2026 is set to be a landmark year for art lovers in the United States, offering unparalleled access to historical masterpieces and cutting-edge contemporary practice.
