5 Must-See Art Exhibits in Dallas Right Now — Francisco Moreno, Brand X Editions, Nic Nicosia, and More

Museum Exhibitions Worth Checking Out This Summer

By Megan Ziots // Jun 17, 2026

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Francisco Moreno, A City in a House in a Room, 2024, at Dallas Contemporary (Photo by Kevin Todora)

"Nobody Puts Baby in the Corner" (2022) by Deborah Kass (Courtesy Dallas Museum of Art)

"Samurai to the Imperial Court: Japanese Metalwork" brings together more than 90 works from the DMA's significant holdings as well as other leading collections.

At the Nasher, “Nic Nicosia: Everyday Surreal” focuses on one of our city’s most revered artists with a fresh perspective on his turn to sculpture in the 2010s. (Courtesy)

Presented in collaboration with the Dallas Museum of Art, this Nasher exhibit presents works from the joint acquisition of over fifty artworks gifted by the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation. (Courtesy of the Nasher)

This year, we’ve launched a new PaperCity series highlighting the most anticipated new art exhibits around the city. Dallas Art Watch is your guide to the best art to catch each season. This summer, there are several can’t-miss shows to check out before they close, including a local artist’s first solo exhibition, a samurai collection, and more exciting Dallas art exhibits.

Francisco Moreno: Historia Sintética

Dallas Contemporary

Through August 30, 2026

In his first solo exhibition, Mexican-American and Dallas-based artist Francisco Moreno’s Historia Sintética highlights monumental creations spanning two decades of his career. As we stated in this round-up, the survey grounds itself in three signature works: the “WCD Project,” 2012-2015, a souped-up 1975 Datsun paired with black-and-white camouflage canvas, “The Chapel,” 2016-2018 (in the permanent collection of the Dallas Museum of Art and loaned by the DMA for this exhibition), and “The Mural Cycle,” 2024-2026; showcasing Moreno’s particular brand of sci-fi surrealism.

Nobody Puts Baby in the Corner, 2022. Deborah Kass — “Nobody Puts Baby in the Corner” (2022) by Deborah Kass (Courtesy Dallas Museum of Art)

X Marks the Spot: Contemporary Screenprinting at Brand X Editions

Dallas Museum of Art

Through November 8, 2026

This new exhibit at the DMA highlights master printer Bob Blanton’s influential New York City print studio, known for its collaborations with artists like KAWS, Helen Frankenthaler, Rashid Johnson, and Deborah Kass. The exhibition celebrates the more than 40-year legacy of Brand X Editions, which specializes in silk screen printing.

Samurai to the Imperial Court: Japanese Metalwork

Dallas Museum of Art

Through September 6, 2026

Also new to the DMA is this exhibition of more than 90 works of art drawn from the museum’s holdings and other leading collections, including The Ann & Gabriel Barbier-Mueller Museum: The Samurai Collection, Dallas. “Samurai to the Imperial Court celebrates the technical mastery, innovative spirit, and aesthetic brilliance of Japanese metal artists.” Visitors will view samurai arms and armor, sculptures of fantastical animals and figures, and more across five centuries.

Nasher Dallas — At the Nasher, “Nic Nicosia: Everyday Surreal” focuses on one of our city’s most revered artists with a fresh perspective on his turn to sculpture in the 2010s. (Courtesy)

Nic Nicosia: Everyday Surreal

Nasher Sculpture Center

Through August 16, 2026

This new exhibit at the Nasher is a survey of the last 25 years of Dallas-born artist Nic Nicosia’s five-decade career. “With a fresh focus on his turn to sculpture in the 2010s, the exhibition features over 70 three-dimensional works, drawings, photographs, and films made since his mid-career survey in 1999–2000, in an installation evocative of the subtly surreal environments conceived in the artist’s work.”

Roy Lichtenstein in the Studio

Nasher Sculpture Center

Through October 24, 2026

Presented in collaboration with the Dallas Museum of Art, this Nasher exhibit presents works from the joint acquisition of over fifty artworks gifted by the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation in 2024, showing prints, drawings, and sculptures by the groundbreaking American artist at the two neighboring institutions in the Dallas Arts District.