13 U.S. Museum Shows You Need to See in the First Three Months of 2026

Philadelphia

“Noah Davis”
Where: Philadelphia Art Museum
When: Jan. 24–Apr. 26
Why It’s Worth a Look: This is your last chance to see this critically acclaimed survey of the late Los Angeles-based artist, who died in 2015 at the age of 32. It has previously stopped at DAS MINSK in Potsdam, Germany, the Barbican in London, and the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles.
Know Before You Go: The show explores not only Davis’s arresting, dreamlike paintings, but also his work in curating and community-building through the Underground Museum in LA.

New York

“Pat Oleszko: Fool Disclosure”
Where: SculptureCenter
When: Jan. 29–Apr. 27
Why It’s Worth a Look: The cult-figure artist, whose humorous, political performances and videos have shown the creative potential of inflatable sculptures, is the subject of her first solo exhibition at a New York institution in more than 35 years.
Know Before You Go: Works on view include the dinosaur Yupasaurus, 1980, a monstrous send-up of a real estate developer who aggressively gobbles up land across New York.

“Carol Bove”
Where: Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
When: Mar. 5–Aug. 2
Why It’s Worth a Look: This is the first museum survey of the beloved sculptor of scrap metal. The show traces her development over 25 years, from early drawings to a new monumental series made from steel tubing.
Know Before You Go: According to the museum, the American artist will “orchestrate a series of design interventions that subtly inflect the experience of navigating Frank Lloyd Wright’s iconic rotunda.” 

Whitney Biennial 2026
Where: Whitney Museum of American Art
When: Opens Mar. 8
Why It’s Worth a Look: The Whitney Biennial is an always-debated, highly anticipated take on the state of American art. This year’s iteration is curated by Marcela Guerrero and Drew Sawyer and includes 56 artists and collectives.
Know Before You Go: Look out for a rare mother-daughter duo on view: Andrea Fraser, known for her work in institutional critique, is sharing the stage with her mother, the 92-year-old painter Carmen de Monteflores. 

“Raphael: Sublime Poetry”
Where: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
When: Mar. 29–Jun. 28
Why It’s Worth a Look: Bringing together more than 200 works, this is the first comprehensive exhibition on the storied Italian Renaissance artist ever in the United States.
Know Before You Go: The show pays special attention to Raphael’s portrayal of women. As it turns out, he was the first Western artist to use nude female models in his work.

Chicago

“Lucas Samaras: Sitting, Standing, Walking, Looking”
Where: Art Institute of Chicago
When: Jan. 29–July 20
Why It’s Worth a Look: The art world has struggled to fully understand the utterly unique oeuvre of American artist Lucas Samaras, who died in 2024. This show, which focuses on his photographs, and particularly his use of Polaroids, aims to help capture the breadth of his legacy.
Know Before You Go: The show includes sculptures and paintings recently donated to the museum by the Greek-born artist’s estate. 

Portland

“Ming Smith: Jazz Requiem – Notations in Blue”
Where: Portland Museum of Art
When: Feb. 6–Jun. 7
Why It’s Worth a Look: This show explores how the celebrated photographer‘s travels around Europe in the 1970s and ’80s influenced her elusive, poignant depictions of Black life.
Know Before You Go: Many of the works in the show date from Smith’s early career yet they have never been printed before now.

Los Angeles

“Bruce Conner / Recording Angel”
Where: Marciano Art Foundation
When: Feb. 21–Jul. 25
Why It’s Worth a Look: You have the rare chance to take in seven of the enigmatic artist Bruce Conner’s experimental films, including CROSSROADS, 1976, a mash-up of declassified footage of atomic bomb tests.
Know Before You Go: Conner has been called the “father of the music video” because of his rapid-fire editing techniques. If that’s the case, you could also probably call him the father of TikTok. 

“Haegue Yang: Star-Crossed Rendezvous”
Where: MOCA Grand Avenue
When: Mar. 1–Aug. 2
Why It’s Worth a Look: The show is a collaboration between MOCA and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, which is headquartered across the street. It pairs the work of contemporary Korean sculptor Haegue Yang with the Korean-born composer Isang Yun, who spent his career in Germany and died in 1995.
Know Before You Go: On March 10, the LA Philharmonic will perform Yun’s Double Concerto, 1977, at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in conjunction with the exhibition. 

“Arthur Jafa: The White Album”
Where: The Hammer Museum
When: Mar. 14–Aug. 30
Why It’s Worth a Look: The 40-minute film—described as “a social critique of whiteness”—is the celebrated American artist Arthur Jafa’s highly anticipated follow-up to 2016’s widely praised Love Is the Message, the Message Is Death.
Know Before You Go: The White Album won the Golden Lion for the best work in the central exhibition in the 2019 Venice Biennale. 

Buffalo

“Let Us Gather in a Flourishing Way”
Where: Buffalo AKG Art Museum
When: Mar. 6–Sep. 6
Why It’s Worth a Look: This ambitious show of 58 Latinx artists, including Candida Alvarez, Felipe Baeza, Guadalupe Maravilla, and Leslie Martinez, explores how a broad cohort is pushing the discipline of painting in new directions.
Know Before You Go: The show takes its name from the former U.S. Poet Laureate Juan Felipe Herrera’s poem “[Let Us Gather in a Flourishing Way].”

Seattle

“Beyond Mysticism: The Modern Northwest”
Where: Seattle Art Museum
When: Mar. 5–Aug. 2
Why It’s Worth a Look: There’s a chapter of Modernism you may not be familiar with, and that’s the strain that took root in the Pacific Northwest. This show explores the work of Mark Tobey, Kenneth Anderson, Guy Anderson, Morris Graves, and others to flesh out that story.
Know Before You Go: These artists were often described as “mystic,” but the show argues that their output was much broader than that, touching on Social Realism, Surrealism, and Abstract Expressionism alike. 

Cleveland

“Manet and Morisot”
Where: Cleveland Museum of Art
When: Mar. 29–Jul. 9
Why It’s Worth a Look: This is the first museum show to examine the artistic exchange between Édouard Manet and Berthe Morisot—two artists, friends, and colleagues who had the closest relationship of any two members of the Impressionist movement.
Know Before You Go: The two were more than fans and collectors of one another’s work. Morisot was also, at times, a model for Manet. In 1874, she married Manet’s younger brother, Eugène.