CHICAGO, IL.- The Art Institute of Chicago announced highlights from its exhibition schedule for the first half of 2026.

This year will open with a stellar lineup of exhibitions that will invite our visitors to explore works created across two millennia. These works will range from presentations that include iconic artists like Henri Matisse and Willem de Kooning to surveys of Korean national treasures and middle eastern embroideries to contemporary and experimental works by artists including Carroll Dunham to Lucas Samaras.

Carroll Dunham: Drawings, 1974–2024
January 31–June 1, 2026

Celebrating a remarkable fifty-year period of artistic invention, this exhibition largely comprises drawings never before seen outside of Dunham’s own studio and highlights a more holistic look at his career. This show will strengthen our understanding of Dunham’s explorations of figuration to abstraction and everything in between.

Lucas Samaras: Sitting, Standing, Walking, Looking
January 31–July 20, 2026

Drawn from the Art Institute’s collection, this exhibition focuses on Greek multidisciplinary artist Lucas Samaras’s innovative photographs, as well as sculptures and paintings recently gifted to the museum by the Samaras Estate. These works offer a glimpse into Samaras’s broader practice and invites us into his creative, engaged, and focused life.

Matisse’s Jazz: Rhythms in Color
March 7–June 1, 2026

This exhibition marks the first time Matisse’s Jazz will be shown in its entirety since the Art Institute acquired it in 1948. One of the most important artist books of the 20th century, Jazz joins more than 50 works from the museum’s renowned collection of paintings, sculpture, drawings, prints, illustrated books, and textiles to showcase Matisse’s commitment to continual innovation and the expressive power of color and line.

Korean National Treasures: 2,000 Years of Art
March 7–July 5, 2026

From a 6th-century gilt bronze Buddhist sculpture to white porcelain and contemporary paintings of the late 20th century, the works of art in this exhibition demonstrate the artistic legacy produced on the Korean peninsula over millennia. Among the 140 artworks on view, 22 are officially recognized as National Treasures or Treasures by the Korean government.

Willem de Kooning Drawing
June 14–September 20, 2026

Willem de Kooning Drawing is the first exhibition to explore the full scope of Willem de Kooning’s drawing practice and how it was foundational to his boundary-breaking artistic career. Featuring more than 200 artworks including rarely-seen drawings—alongside paintings, sculptures, and prints—this exhibition offers an unprecedented opportunity to experience the totality of his graphic production over seven decades and sheds light on his experimentation with materials, tools, and techniques.

Bruce Goff: Material Worlds is on view now until March 29, and features more than 200 works celebrating American architect Bruce Goff’s unbounded creative practice. Three companion shows will be on view for the majority of the exhibition—Japanese Prints from the Collection of Bruce Goff (January 7–April 6, 2026), Janna Ireland: A Goff House in Los Angeles (January 7–May 18, 2026), and New Affiliates on Goff’s Domestic Matter (January 7–May 18, 2026). These presentations will showcase Japanese prints that were given to the museum from Goff’s estate in 1990, photographs of Goff’s last residential project, and reimagined composite drawings of Goff’s best-known houses respectively.