The Philadelphia Art Museum (PAM) will mount an exhibition titled “Van Gogh’s Sunflowers: A Symphony in Blue and Yellow” from June 6 to October 11, 2026, bringing together two of Vincent van Gogh’s iconic “Sunflower” paintings: PAM’s own Sunflowers (1889) with a turquoise background and the National Gallery’s Sunflowers (1888) with a yellow background. The exhibition continues a collaboration between the two institutions, following a recent loan of PAM’s painting to the National Gallery’s “Van Gogh: Poets and Lovers” show, where the two works hung in a triptych with van Gogh’s Lullaby: Madame Augustine Roulin Rocking a Cradle (La Berceuse).
The exhibition matters because it reunites two masterpieces that van Gogh himself envisioned together, offering a rare opportunity to compare his evolving use of color and brushwork. The announcement comes amid turmoil at PAM, as its director was recently terminated for cause, reportedly linked to a controversial rebranding that shortened the museum’s name to Philadelphia Art Museum, raising questions about institutional leadership and identity.