The Philadelphia Museum of Art will host a major exhibition titled *Van Gogh’s Sunflowers: A Symphony in Blue and Yellow* from June 6 to October 11, 2026, bringing together two iconic Sunflower paintings: the museum’s own turquoise-background version (January 1889) and the original yellow-background version (August 1888) from London’s National Gallery. This marks a rare international loan for the London painting, which has only traveled abroad four times since 1924. The exhibition will explore Van Gogh’s use of color and brushwork, and will reunite the two canvases in a triptych arrangement with *La Berceuse* (January 1889, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston), as originally envisioned by the artist in a letter to his brother Theo.
This exhibition matters because it represents a historic reciprocal loan between two major institutions—the National Gallery lent its Philadelphia counterpart’s Sunflowers for its blockbuster 2024 show *Van Gogh: Poets & Lovers*, and Philadelphia is now returning the favor. The show also sheds light on the complex provenance of the Philadelphia Sunflowers, which was purchased in 1928 by collector Carroll Tyson for $45,000 and is now valued at several hundred million dollars. By reuniting two of Van Gogh’s most celebrated works alongside his intended triptych, the exhibition offers a rare opportunity to see the artist’s vision fully realized and underscores the enduring power of cross-institutional collaboration.