In a major coup for American audiences, the Philadelphia Art Museum will present Van Gogh’s Sunflowers: A Symphony in Blue and Yellow from 6 June to 11 October 2026. The show will unite two of Van Gogh’s iconic Sunflowers: Philadelphia’s own turquoise-background version (January 1889) and the rare yellow-background masterpiece from London’s National Gallery (August 1888).
London’s Sunflowers, acquired in 1924 and loaned abroad only four times, is considered the finest of the Arles series. Its journey to Philadelphia is seen as a gesture of reciprocity, following the earlier loan of the Philadelphia painting to London’s blockbuster Poets & Lovers exhibition in 2024–25.
The two works were last shown together in London, flanking Van Gogh’s La Berceuse—a triptych arrangement the artist himself once sketched for his brother Theo. The Philadelphia version has recently been reframed to harmonize with the London masterpiece, ensuring a striking visual pairing in the 2026 exhibition.
The turquoise Sunflowers has its own colourful history: once bought for $80 by Count Antoine de La Rochefoucauld and later acquired by collector Carroll Tyson—who reportedly kept it behind his dining chair so he wouldn’t have to look at it—before being bequeathed to the museum in 1963. It has long been one of Philadelphia’s most beloved works.
The upcoming exhibition’s title comes from Van Gogh’s own description of the series as “a symphony in blue and yellow,” a celebration of complementary colours that “sing” when placed together. Visitors will have the rare chance to see this harmony brought vividly to life, side by side, in one gallery.
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