Philadelphia Art Museums Collaborate on New Exhibition Commemorating America’s 250th Anniversary

The Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMA) and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts (PAFA) have collaborated on a joint exhibition with the private Middleton Family Collection that will commemorate the nation's 250th anniversary in 2026. 

Dubbed "A Nation of Artists," the exhibition will feature more than 1,000 works across the two museums. It will be the most expansive presentation of American art displayed in Philadelphia. The exhibition will open to the public at both arts institutions on April 12, 2026, and it will run through September 2027.

Selections from The Middleton Family Collection — regarded as one of the nation's most significant private art holdings — will be exhibited at both venues to tell the story of American art and the American experience.

Visitors to the exhibitions will be able to witness the early realism of Charles Willson Peale and John Singer Sargent, the works of Horace Pippin, and the impressionist painting style of Mary Cassatt. "A Nation of Artists" will also showcase modern and contemporary artists, along with sculptural installations and multimedia works by Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, Rina Banerjee, and Mickalene Thomas.

According to a news release, "A Nation of Artists" will extend beyond the art exhibitions themselves to embrace community programs that will focus on community murals, arts classes, and discussions with national and Philadelphia-based artists. Performances, school tours, and workshops are also slated to be part of the experience. 

“This historic collaboration places Philadelphia's artistic legacy on full display — offering the world a celebration of creativity, identity, and nationhood that can't be experienced anywhere else,” said Angela Val, president and CEO of Visit Philadelphia, in the news release. “Only in Philadelphia — where our independence was declared, our constitution debated and established, and our first states united — could an exhibition of this scale and significance come to life.”