{"id":458730,"date":"2025-12-19T23:01:19","date_gmt":"2025-12-19T23:01:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/458730\/"},"modified":"2025-12-19T23:01:19","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T23:01:19","slug":"10-art-exhibitions-in-chicago-to-look-forward-to-in-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/458730\/","title":{"rendered":"10 art exhibitions in Chicago to look forward to in 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chicago\u2019s art scene<\/a> has never been accused of subtlety. One minute you\u2019re contemplating Matisse\u2019s cut-paper reveries, the next you\u2019re comparing Pok\u00e9mon fossils. It\u2019s a city that believes more is more\u2014and 2026 is shaping up to be no exception, with a slate of major exhibitions that span centuries, continents and emotional registers.<\/p>\n

Whether you\u2019re a devoted art hound or someone who only remembers that museums exist when the weather turns particularly cruel, there\u2019s something for nearly every aesthetic inclination in the year ahead. These are the 10 Chicago art exhibitions we\u2019re already making plans to visit in 2026.<\/p>\n

RECOMMENDED: 11 things to look forward to in Chicago in 2026<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"A
\nHenri Matisse, Printed by Edmond Vairel, Published by T\u00e9riade for \u00c9ditions Verve. Horse, Rider, and Clown from Jazz, 1947. Simeon B. Williams Fund. \u00a9 2025 Succession H. Matisse \/ Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. <\/p>\n

Matisse\u2019s Jazz: Rhythms in Color<\/a><\/strong>
The Art Institute of Chicago, Mar 7\u2013Jun 1, 2026<\/p>\n

Bedridden and unable to paint in the 1940s, famed French artist Henri Matisse turned to a new, more accessible medium: cut paper. Drawing from memories of circuses, world travel, folktales and Parisian music halls, he created a series of 20 maquettes that will be on view. In 1947, these vibrant compositions were reproduced using pochoir (stencil) techniques and paired with Matisse\u2019s own writing to create the unbound book Jazz. This exhibition marks the first time Matisse\u2019s Jazz will be shown in its entirety since the Art Institute acquired it in 1948.<\/p>\n

If Emmett Till Lived: Freedom on American Ground<\/a><\/strong>
Museum of Contemporary Photography, Sept 3\u2013Dec 19, 2026<\/p>\n

This exhibition poses a devastatingly powerful question: What if Emmett Till had not been brutally lynched in Mississippi in 1955? Through photography, the exhibition imagines an alternate history in which Till lived\u2014moving from images inspired by the last meal his mother packed before his trip south to meditations on the life he might have experienced, from the rise of the Chicago Bulls to the ongoing fight for civil rights.<\/p>\n

Pok\u00e9mon Fossil Museum<\/a><\/strong>
Field Museum, May 22, 2026\u2013Apr 11, 2027<\/p>\n

Whether you\u2019re parenting a pint-sized Pok\u00e9mon devotee or a nostalgic millennial still clinging to a holographic Charizard card for its \u201cpossible resale value\u201d (guilty), the Pok\u00e9mon Fossil Museum is designed to surprise and delight. Making its U.S. debut at the Field Museum in spring 2026, the international exhibition invites visitors to compare Fossil Pok\u00e9mon like Tyrantrum and Archeops with real-world fossils\u2014including SUE the T. rex. Expect Pok\u00e9mon models, real fossil excavation tools and immersive soundscapes throughout.<\/p>\n

\"Dancers
\nPhotograph: supakid, Courtesy of the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicagosupakid, Untitled (Ricky Renuncia), 2019. Digital photograph. <\/p>\n

Dancing the Revolution<\/a><\/strong>
Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, Apr 14\u2013Sept 20, 2026<\/p>\n

This first-of-its-kind exhibition explores the visual, political and spiritual histories of dancehall and reggaet\u00f3n through contemporary art. Once grassroots scenes, both genres have become globally influential movements tied closely to sexual and political liberation. The show features works by more than 35 artists, including Jean-Michel Basquiat, Edra Soto, supakid and Lee \u201cScratch\u201d Perry.<\/p>\n

Korean National Treasures: 2,000 Years of Art<\/a><\/strong>
The Art Institute of Chicago, Mar 7\u2013July 5, 2026<\/p>\n

Thanks to a landmark donation from the family of Lee Kun-Hee, the late chairman of Samsung Group, Chicagoans will be able to view extraordinary Korean artworks once held in private collections. Spanning painting, ceramics and Buddhist sculpture, the exhibition includes 140 works that trace two millennia of artistic legacy\u201422 of which are officially designated National Treasures or Treasures by the Korean government.<\/p>\n

\"Paul
\nPhoto Credit: Daniel Boud, Sydney Morning Herald <\/p>\n

Crafting Character: The Costumes of Paul Tazewell<\/a><\/strong>
Griffin Museum of Science and Industry, opens Jan 19, 2026<\/p>\n

How are some of the most iconic costumes of the past century made? Costume designer Paul Tazewell pulls back the curtain in this behind-the-scenes exhibition. Highlights include costumes from Wicked\u00a0and Steven Spielberg\u2019s West Side Story, plus Janelle Mon\u00e1e\u2019s Met Gala looks. Sketches, videos and narration reveal how imagination becomes wearable art.<\/p>\n

I AM WILD: A Charley Harper Exhibit<\/a><\/strong>
Chicago Children\u2019s Museum, Jan 17\u2013May 10, 2026<\/p>\n

This family-friendly exhibition explores six habitats\u2014Desert, Ocean, Rainforest, Sky, Woods and City\u2014through the eyes of modernist artist Charley Harper. Designed to foster appreciation for biodiversity and interdependence, the exhibit includes interactive games, a DIY soundscape station and multisensory interpretations of Harper\u2019s beloved work.<\/p>\n

A Tale of Today Presents Brendan Fernandes: In the Round<\/a><\/strong>
Richard H. Driehaus Museum, Apr 9\u2013Nov 14, 2026<\/p>\n

As the Driehaus Museum\u2019s first artist-in-residence, Brendan Fernandes will transform the Murphy Auditorium into a dynamic site for sculpture, movement and sound. Inspired by the Judson Dance Theater, Fernandes\u2019s Scores for the Murphy Auditorium will unfold as an episodic residency throughout 2026, with performances and public programs announced over time.<\/p>\n

\"A
\nPhotograph: Tom VanEynde, Courtesy of Hyde Park Art Center”I can no longer see. Whose story remains,” Yoonshin Park <\/p>\n

Yoonshin Park: Prompt and Prompted<\/a><\/strong>
Hyde Park Art Center, Jan 24\u2013May 10, 2026<\/p>\n

Multimedia artist Yoonshin Park challenges conventional ideas of what books are\u2014and what they can be. Prompt and Prompted presents new and ongoing works that reimagine artist books as spatial, symbolic and participatory sites, engaging ideas of memory, marginality, translation and transformation.<\/p>\n

MoCP at Fifty: Collecting Through the Decades<\/a><\/strong>
Museum of Contemporary Photography, Jan 22\u2013May 16, 2026<\/p>\n

The Museum of Contemporary Photography celebrates its 50th anniversary with a sweeping look at its collection. The retrospective features rarely exhibited and newly acquired works by influential photographers including Dorothea Lange, Harry Callahan and Robert Frank.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Chicago\u2019s art scene has never been accused of subtlety. One minute you\u2019re contemplating Matisse\u2019s cut-paper reveries, the next…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":458731,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5124],"tags":[1037,29645,960,5386,1818,29646],"class_list":{"0":"post-458730","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-chicago","8":"tag-art","9":"tag-categories-art","10":"tag-chicago","11":"tag-il","12":"tag-illinois","13":"tag-news-art"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115748725973938637","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/458730","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=458730"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/458730\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/458731"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=458730"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=458730"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=458730"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}