6 engaging museum exhibitions to view this summer

Summers are the perfect time to explore, and that includes at museums. These new exhibitions — including an examination of American Pop art, a closer look at the scandalous painting that rocked early 20th century France and an immersive celebration of Yoko Ono — are all worth the trek.

‘Guggenheim Pop: 1960 to Now,’ Guggenheim New York

The evolution of American pop art is explored in this exhibition of 29 pioneering and contemporary artists, like Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol, Yayoi Kusama and Maurizio Cattelan. A “reaction to the consumerism” that infiltrated the U.S. post-World War II, American pop art “elevates everyday objects” like soup cans to the “status of art,” often with an “irreverent sense of humor,” said Artsy. By placing historic works alongside recent acquisitions by current artists, the Guggenheim aims to demonstrate how the art form, “as a strategy, continues to inspire, provoke and evolve,” said Lauren Hinkson, the museum’s curator of collections. (through Jan. 10, 2027)

‘Hew Locke: Passages,’ The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

Using “found materials and iconic imagery,” Guyanese British artist Hew Locke creates “theatrical tableaux” that speak on “iconographies of empire, history and collective memory,” said The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. “Hew Locke: Passages” is an impressive — and comprehensive — look at his work, from the 1990s to today. More than 40 collages, sculptures and assemblages will be displayed, including “Infanta,” Locke’s “richly detailed” charcoal drawings, and his reimagined royal coats of arms. (June 21-Sept. 13)

‘Matisse’s Femme au chapeau: A Modern Scandal,” San Francisco Museum of Modern Art

When Henri Matisse debuted “Femme au chapeau (Woman with a Hat)” in 1905, it was a “clanging bell” that announced the “split between Postimpressionism and Fauvism,” the French avant-garde art movement, said Galerie. This portrait of his wife, Amélie, with a “greenish face” and “crazily bright, abstracted hat,” was like nothing ever seen before, and stunned the art world. “Matisse’s Femme au chapeau: A Modern Scandal” tells the “full story” of how the painting changed the rules and showcases works by the other artists who appeared in the 1905 Salon d’Automne in Paris. (through Sept. 13, 2026)

‘Saodat Ismailova: Melted into the Sun,’ Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art, Washington, D.C.

Through her videos and photographs, Uzbek artist and filmmaker Saodat Ismailova “immerses” viewers in the “expansive landscapes, layered histories and cultural memory” of Central Asia, said the National Museum of Asian Art. “Melted into the Sun” is Ismailova’s first major solo museum exhibition in the United States, and her work will be presented alongside historical objects in the museum’s collection. Highlights include “The Letters,” photographic prints based on portraits of Ismailova’s family, and “Her Right,” a short film about “sacrifices made for the freedom of contemporary Uzbek women” that will be projected on horsehair. (June 13-Nov. 29, 2026)

‘Willem de Kooning Drawing,’ The Art Institute of Chicago

Famous for his “frenetic, abstract canvases,” Willem de Kooning was also an “exceptional draftsman” who got his start “copying from casts and antiquities like the Old Masters before him,” said Artnet. More than 200 of his drawings will be shown during “Willem de Kooning Drawing,” from the iconic “Excavation” and “Woman I” to pieces that have never before been seen in public. Some of the most fascinating works in the exhibition were completed during the 1960s, when de Kooning would create “obstacles to his long-honed skill,” like draw with his non-dominant hand or while blindfolded. (June 14-Sept. 20, 2026)

‘Yoko Ono: Music of the Mind,’ The Broad, Los Angeles

A “cultural reframing” of Yoko Ono’s legacy is underway, and instead of being seen as the “woman who broke up the Beatles,” she is now “widely understood” to be one of the “foundational figures of conceptual and performance art,” said Vogue. “Music of the Mind” features works that “underscore” this, like “Freedom,” a 1970 film addressing women’s liberation, and original typed pages of her 1964 book “Grapefruit.” Visitors can also directly participate in Ono’s work, with opportunities to hammer a nail into a canvas or tie a wish to a tree outside in the Broad’s plaza. (through Oct. 11, 2026)