What transformed Frida Kahlo from a little-known painter into a global icon? How did Raphael redefine beauty at the height of the Renaissance? What happens when Pop Art’s glossy surfaces are reexamined in the age of mass media?
Discover the answers to these questions—and more—by visiting ten of the best art exhibitions heading to museums across the United States this year.
1. Frida: The Making of an Icon
19 January–17 May at the Museum of Fine Art in Houston, TX
This major exhibition brings together more than 30 works by Frida Kahlo alongside 120 works by artists across five generations she influenced. Rather than retelling her biography, it examines how Kahlo deliberately constructed her public image across painting, photography, dress, and politics into one of the most recognizable artistic identities of the 20th century.
2. Mary Cassatt: An American in Paris
14 February–30 August at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.
Marking the centenary of Mary Cassatt’s death, this exhibition places her firmly within the Parisian avant-garde rather than the margins of American expatriate art. Paintings, prints, and rarely shown works on paper reveal her central role in shaping modern printmaking and domestic subject matter.
3. Matisse’s Jazz: Rhythms in Color
7 March–1 June at the Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago, IL
Created after a life-altering illness, Jazz represents Henri Matisse’s radical reinvention through cut paper rather than traditional paint on canvas. This focused presentation treats the series as a foundational work of modern graphic art, revealing how limitation became one of his most influential innovations.
4. Whitney Biennial 2026
Opens 8 March at the Whitney Musuem of American Art in New York City, NY
The 82nd edition of the Whitney Biennial surveys contemporary American art through the work of 56 artists, duos, and collectives. Addressing themes ranging from technology and geopolitics to kinship and infrastructure, it offers an early look at the artists shaping the present moment.
5. America 250: Common Threads
14 March–27 July at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, AR
Organized in anticipation of the United States’ 250th anniversary, this exhibition traces American creativity from 1776 to the present through art, textiles, and material culture. By foregrounding craft traditions and collective making, it presents a more inclusive account of national art history.
6. Raphael: Sublime Poetry
29 March–28 June at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, NY
The first comprehensive Raphael exhibition ever staged in the United States, this landmark survey brings together more than 200 works spanning the Renaissance artist’s brief but revolutionary career. It highlights Raphael’s poetic synthesis of classical harmony, emotional clarity, and technical mastery.
7. Manet & Morisot
29 March–5 July at the Cleveland Museum of Art in Cleveland, OH
This first major exhibition devoted to the artistic exchange between Édouard Manet and Berthe Morisot examines their shared experimentation and mutual influence. By placing their works side by side, it challenges long-standing hierarchies within Impressionism and restores Morisot’s central role.
8. Marcel Duchamp
12 April–22 August at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, NY
The first North American retrospective of Marcel Duchamp in over 50 years traces six decades of work across painting, sculpture, film, photography, and readymades. The exhibition reconsiders how Duchamp’s ideas continue to shape conceptual and contemporary art.
9. A Nation of Artists
Opens 12 April at the Philadelphia Art Museum in Philadelphia, PA
Spanning three centuries, this wide-ranging exhibition surveys American art through works drawn from major public and private collections. Organized around themes of identity and experimentation, it reframes early American art as inventive rather than derivative.
10. Guggenheim Pop
5 June 2026–10 January 2027 at the Guggenheim Museum in New York City, NY
Rather than offering a greatest-hits survey, Guggenheim Pop reexamines the Pop Art movement’s political, social, and media-driven complexities. Works by Warhol and Lichtenstein are shown alongside contemporary responses that reveal Pop’s continued relevance in the digital age.
The US’s Must-See Art Exhibitions in 2026
| Exhibition | Dates | Location | Why it’s a must-see |
| Frida: The Making of an Icon | 19 Jan–17 May | Museum of Fine Arts, Houston | Definitive reassessment of how Kahlo constructed her iconic public identity |
| Mary Cassatt: An American in Paris | 14 Feb–30 Aug | National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. | Positions Cassatt as a central innovator of modern Parisian art |
| Matisse’s Jazz: Rhythms in Color | 7 Mar–1 Jun | Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago | Frames Jazz as a foundational work of modern graphic art |
| Whitney Biennial 2026 | Opens 8 Mar | Whitney Museum of American Art, New York | Influential snapshot of contemporary American art today |
| America 250: Common Threads | 14 Mar–27 Jul | Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville | Inclusive rethinking of American history through art and craft |
| Raphael: Sublime Poetry | 29 Mar–28 Jun | Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York | The first comprehensive US Raphael exhibition |
| Manet & Morisot | 29 Mar–5 Jul | Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland | Asserts Morisot as an equal force in Impressionism |
| Marcel Duchamp | 12 Apr–22 Aug | Museum of Modern Art, New York | Major assessment of the artist who redefined art itself |
| A Nation of Artists | Opens 12 Apr | Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia | Reframes early American art as experimental and plural |
| Guggenheim Pop | 5 Jun 2026–10 Jan 2027 | Guggenheim Museum, New York | Fresh, critical take on Pop art’s legacy and relevance |
