Jeffrey Gibson tops Artnet's June 2026 museum artist ranking
Artnet News published its quarterly 'Museum Artist' list for June 2026, ranking living artists by museum presence across 350 U.S. institutions. Jeffrey Gibson leads with a score of 23, buoyed by his long-running MASS MoCA show and a Boise Art Museum exhibition tied to America 250. Sky Hopinka follows at 21, with a new Barnes Foundation commission. Kara Walker ranks third at 18, appearing in 17 group shows. The list reflects a continued focus on Native and Black artists, amplified by the U.S. semiquincentennial. Betye Saar, turning 100 in July, receives a tribute show at the Palmer Museum. Other top artists include Marie Watt, Cara Romero, Kay WalkingStick, Carrie Mae Weems, Kent Monkman, Caroline Monnet, Emmi Whitehorse, Rose B. Simpson, Jasper Johns, Rashid Johnson, Catherine Opie, Martin Puryear, vanessa german, and Odili Donald Odita.
Key facts
- Artnet News released its June 2026 'Museum Artist' ranking.
- Jeffrey Gibson tops the list with a score of 23.
- Sky Hopinka is second with a score of 21.
- Kara Walker is third with a score of 18.
- The ranking surveyed about 350 museums and 3,500 artists.
- 720 artists appeared in more than one museum show.
- The list emphasizes Native and Black artists.
- The U.S. semiquincentennial amplifies existing museum programming.
Entities
Artists
- Jeffrey Gibson
- Sky Hopinka
- Kara Walker
- Marie Watt
- Cara Romero
- Betye Saar
- Kay WalkingStick
- Carrie Mae Weems
- Kent Monkman
- Caroline Monnet
- Emmi Whitehorse
- Rose B. Simpson
- Jasper Johns
- Rashid Johnson
- Catherine Opie
- Martin Puryear
- vanessa german
- Odili Donald Odita
- Ai Weiwei
- Carol Bove
- Nick Cave
- Einar de la Torre
- Jamex de la Torre
- Glenn Ligon
- Mickalene Thomas
- Dyani White Hawk
- Deborah Roberts
- Alison Saar
- Jordan D. Schnitzer
- Swizz Beatz
- Alicia Keys
- Arthur Jafa
- Sam Gilliam
- David C. Driskell
- Kate Brown
Institutions
- Artnet News
- MASS MoCA
- Boise Art Museum
- Barnes Foundation
- ICA Boston
- Palmer Museum of Art
- New York Historical Society
- MoMA
- Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Portland Museum of Art
- Nasher Museum of Art
- Santa Barbara Museum of Art
- SITE Santa Fe
- Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art
- Nevada Museum of Art
- Rhode Island Museum
- National Museum of the American Indian
- Montclair Museum
- Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland
- National Gallery of Art
- Utah Museum of Contemporary Art
- Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum
- Hammer Museum
- Des Moines Art Center
- Frist Museum
- SCAD Museum of Art
- Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive
- Racine Art Museum
- Honolulu Museum of Art
- National Museum of Women in the Arts
- Cameron Art Museum
- Studio Museum in Harlem
- Long Beach Museum of Art
- Brooklyn Museum
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Philadelphia Museum of Art
- Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts
- Walker Art Center
- Utah Museum of Fine Arts
- Philbrook Museum of Art
- Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art
- North Carolina Museum of Art
- Abbe Museum
- Museum of International Folk Art
- Westmoreland Museum of Art
- Seattle Art Museum
- Hallie Ford Museum of Art
- Phoenix Art Museum
- Brandywine Museum of Art
- Autry Museum of the American West
- James Gallery
- City University of New York
- Kemper Museum
- Maynard Dixon Museum
- Ogunquit Museum of American Art
- Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art
- Guggenheim Museum
- San José Museum of Art
- Los Angeles County Museum of Art
- Getty Museum
- Addison Gallery of American Art
- Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles
- Allentown Art Museum
- Cleveland Museum of Art
- Heard Museum
- Trout Gallery
- Dickenson College
- Institute of Contemporary Art Boston
- Minneapolis Institute of Art
- Louisiana State University Museum of Art
- McNay Art Museum
- Perez Art Museum Miami
- Akron Art Museum
- Tacoma Art Museum
- Michener Art Museum
- Gund Museum
- Kenyon College
- Dennos Museum Center
- Sun Valley Museum of Art
- Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian
- Parrish Art Museum
- New Mexico Museum of Art
- de Young Museum
- Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
- Fabric Workshop and Museum
- Smart Museum of Art
- Norton Museum of Art
- Rhode Island School of Design Museum
- Columbia Museum of Art
- University of Kentucky Art Museum
- Pulitzer Arts Foundation
- Museum of Fine Arts Houston
- Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Park
- Asheville Art Museum
- Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth
- Dallas Museum of Art
- San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
- NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale
- High Museum of Art
- Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago
- Whatcom Museum
- Speed Art Museum
- Museum of Wisconsin Art
- Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center
- Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego
- Hood Museum of Art
- Dartmouth
Locations
- United States
- North Adams
- Massachusetts
- Boise
- Idaho
- Philadelphia
- Pennsylvania
- Boston
- State College
- University Park
- New York City
- New York
- Portland
- Maine
- Durham
- North Carolina
- Santa Barbara
- California
- Santa Fe
- New Mexico
- Overland Park
- Kansas
- Reno
- Nevada
- Providence
- Rhode Island
- Washington D.C.
- Montclair
- New Jersey
- Cleveland
- Ohio
- Salt Lake City
- Utah
- Miami
- Florida
- Los Angeles
- Des Moines
- Iowa
- Nashville
- Tennessee
- Savannah
- Georgia
- Racine
- Wisconsin
- Honolulu
- Hawaii
- Wilmington
- Bentonville
- Arkansas
- Raleigh
- Bar Harbor
- Greensburg
- Salem
- Oregon
- Phoenix
- Arizona
- Chadds Ford
- Kansas City
- Missouri
- Tucson
- Eugene
- San Jose
- Andover
- Baton Rouge
- Louisiana
- San Antonio
- Texas
- Akron
- Tacoma
- Washington
- Doylestown
- Gambier
- Traverse City
- Michigan
- Ketchum
- Water Mill
- San Francisco
- Chicago
- Illinois
- West Palm Beach
- Lexington
- Kentucky
- St. Louis
- Houston
- Asheville
- Fort Worth
- Dallas
- Fort Lauderdale
- Atlanta
- Bellingham
- Louisville
- West Bend
- Colorado Springs
- Colorado
- San Diego
- Hanover
- New Hampshire