April 10, 2026
Kristin Hunt/for PhillyVoice
This teapot celebrating the repeal of the Stamp Act of 1765 reads 'American Liberty Restored' on the back. It is one of just four surviving teapots of its kind.
Presenting a comprehensive overview of American art from 1700 to 2026 is a big undertaking for one museum. But can two get the job done?
The Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts are banking on it. On Sunday, the collaborators will unveil their sprawling semiquincentennial project "A Nation of Artists." The joint exhibit contains over 1,000 paintings, sculptures, photos and decorative art pieces, some of which came from the private collection of Phillies owner John Middleton.
While certain ideas repeat across both halves of the project, each institute took a slightly different approach. The art museum's pieces are organized chronologically from 1700 to 1960, starting with treasures from colonial America like a rare teapot (on loan from the Middleton family) celebrating the repeal of the Stamp Act. The enormous Charles Willson Peale portrait of George Washington greets visitors as they enter.
A Ray Charles portrait by Chuckie Williams and 'Spring Sale at Bendel's,' a Florian Stettheimer painting of the New York department store, hang in a second floor gallery.
PAFA, meanwhile, has arranged its objects thematically. In an introductory space on American symbols, an eagle sculpted by Benjamin West in 1810 is displayed alongside an unraveling Confederate flag created by Sonya Clark in 2017. (PAFA also showcases a Washington portrait, the famed Gilbert Stuart one to be precise.)
Pioneering Black artist and West Chester native Horace Pippin painted this depiction of abolitionist John Brown going to his public execution.
Painting from masters like Georgia O'Keeffe, Mark Rothko, Edward Hopper and Horace Pippin appear in both venues, but the exhibit offers more than oil and canvas. Numerous marble and bronze sculptures — of religious and mythical figures, a blind girl fleeing Pompeii and a man freed from slavery — populate PAFA. The Philadelphia Museum of Art features, among other objects, a petal-shaped pincushion from an unknown Seneca artist and a "death cart" from another anonymous creator in New Mexico. The wooden piece draws on Spanish and Latin American religious traditions, presenting a skeletal figure with a cocked bow and arrow. It's meant as a warning; death comes at any time, so lead a pious life.
A Seneca artist created this pincushion circa 1830-1860 with glass beads.
Sculpted by an unknown artist, this death cart draws on Spanish and Latin American folk traditions.
"'A Nation of Artists' articulates a powerful case that across 250 years, Americans have been making extraordinary art," Middleton said at a Friday news conference. "Art that reflects who we are, who we aspire to be, and, yes, sometimes who we fail to be. The full story of American creativity includes voices that were long celebrated and voices that were far too long ignored. Philadelphia, which gave the world both liberty and equality, is a perfect place to tell that story."
Industrial designer Donald Deskey made this screen for socialite Muriel Vanderbilt.
Kristin Hunt/for PhillyVoice
Visitors can access complimentary audio guides at each museum. The Philadelphia Museum of Art tapped a few city celebrities for its recordings. Eagles play-by-play announcer Merrill Reese provides context on the Thomas Eakins' boxing painting "Between Rounds," while South Philly Barbacoa chef Cristina Martinez discusses a 19th-century saffron jar.
This wax fruit arrangement, made in Philadelphia, is an example of 'parlor arts' that wealthy American ladies created before women were regarded as serious artists.
Both institutes underwent renovations ahead of their joint exhibit. PAFA is reopening its historic landmark building on Broad Street after nearly two years of infrastructure upgrades. Every interior gallery has a fresh coat of paint and the entire permanent collection has been rehung. The Philadelphia Museum of Art also recently rehabbed its American art galleries.
While "A Nation of Artists" collection opens Sunday across both museums, it'll exit one of them faster. The exhibit closes at PMA on July 5, 2027, and at PAFA on Sept. 5, 2027.
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