Next year the Philadelphia Museum of Art will pull off something special. It is bringing together two of Van Gogh’s famous Sunflowers paintings for a show running from June to October 2026. Philadelphia will display its own turquoise version from 1889 alongside the National Gallery’s iconic yellow-background version from 1888. London almost never lets that painting leave the country, so the loan is a genuine sign of trust after Philadelphia agreed to lend its own picture to London’s big Van Gogh show in 2024.
he two paintings were last seen together in London, shown with Van Gogh’s portrait La Berceuse in a layout he once imagined himself. The story behind Philadelphia’s painting is long and colorful. Vincent originally planned it for Gauguin, but it passed through several collectors and eventually landed in Philadelphia in 1963. It became one of the museum’s most loved works.
Ahead of the London exhibition, Philadelphia replaced its old ornate frame with something simpler so the two canvases would look right together. That choice paid off and the new frame stayed.
Even though the museum’s director was recently removed over unrelated issues, the Sunflowers show is still moving forward. Its title comes straight from Van Gogh, who once said he hoped the series would feel like “a symphony in blue and yellow.” The exhibition will give visitors a rare chance to experience exactly what he meant.
