Sunflowers, 1889, by Vincent van Gogh (Philadelphia Art Museum: The Mr. and Mrs. Carroll S. Tyson, Jr., Collection, 1963-116-19) and Sunflowers,1888, Vincent van Gogh, Oil on canvas, The National Gallery. Photo: © The National Gallery, London (Detail)
Sunflowers, 1889, by Vincent van Gogh (Philadelphia Art Museum: The Mr. and Mrs. Carroll S. Tyson, Jr., Collection, 1963-116-19) and Sunflowers,1888, Vincent van Gogh, Oil on canvas, The National Gallery. Photo: © The National Gallery, London (Detail)
Important: By downloading this image, you are agreeing to the following permissions: Images are provided exclusively to the press, and only for purposes of publicity for the duration of an exhibition at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The Museum grants permission to use images only to the extent of its ownership rights relating to those images--the responsibility for any additional permissions remains solely with the party reproducing the images. In addition, the images must be accompanied by the credit line and any copyright information as it appears above, and the party reproducing the images must not distort or mutilate the images.
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11
February
2026
|
11:22 AM
America/New_York

Van Gogh’s Sunflowers: A Symphony in Blue and Yellow

“To be sufficiently heated up to melt those golds and those flower tones, not just anybody can do that, it takes an individual’s whole and entire 
energy and attention.” 
Vincent van Gogh to Theo van Gogh, January 22, 1889
June 6–October 11, 2026  
Colket Gallery 251  
  • Sunflowers, 1889, Vincent Willem van Gogh (Dutch, 1853 - 1890), Oil on canvas, 36 3/8 × 28 inches (92.4 × 71.1 cm) Framed: 46 3/4 × 39 1/8 × 2 1/4 inches (118.7 × 99.4 × 5.7 cm), The Mr. and Mrs. Carroll S. Tyson, Jr., Collection, 1963, 1963-116-19
    Important: By downloading this image, you are agreeing to the following permissions: Images are provided exclusively to the press, and only for purposes of publicity for the duration of an exhibition at the Philadelphia Art Museum. The Museum grants permission to use images only to the extent of its ownership rights relating to those images--the responsibility for any additional permissions remains solely with the party reproducing the images. In addition, the images must be accompanied by the credit line and any copyright information as it appears above, and the party reproducing the images must not distort or mutilate the images.
  • Sunflowers,1888, Vincent van Gogh, Oil on canvas, 92.1 × 73 cm, Bought, Courtauld Fund, 1924, The National Gallery. Photo: © The National Gallery, London
    Important: By dImportant: By downloading this image, you are agreeing to the following permissions: Images are provided exclusively to the press, and only for purposes of publicity for the duration of an exhibition at the Philadelphia Art Museum. The Museum grants permission to use images only to the extent of its ownership rights relating to those images--the responsibility for any additional permissions remains solely with the party reproducing the images. In addition, the images must be accompanied by the credit line and any copyright information as it appears above, and the party reproducing the images must not distort or mutilate the images.ownloading this image, you are agreeing to the following permissions: Images are provided exclusively to the press, and only for purposes of publicity for the duration of an exhibition at the PMA. The Museum grants permission to use images only to the extent of its ownership rights relating to those images--the responsibility for any additional permissions remains solely with the party reproducing the images. In addition, the images must be accompanied by the credit line and any copyright information as it appears above, and the party reproducing the images must not distort or mutilate the images.
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Philadelphia, February 11, 2026 – The Philadelphia Museum of Art is pleased to present Van Gogh’s Sunflowers: A Symphony in Blue and Yellow, a rare presentation of two of Vincent van Gogh’s celebrated sunflower paintings side-by-side. From June 6 to October 11, 2026, the installation will provide a unique opportunity to view two treasured works, one completed in August 1888, on loan from the National Gallery in London, and one from 1889 from the museum’s own collection.

Van Gogh’s sunflowers have never been the subject of a focused study in Philadelphia, and the five large-scale canvases in existence today—held in collections in London, Philadelphia, Amsterdam, Munich, and Tokyo—have only been seen together in the United States twice, in Chicago in 2001 and Philadelphia in 1954. Their international display is rare, and this exhibition will offer a fresh look at Van Gogh’s fascination with the subject, as well as his motivations and ambitions behind the series.

In a single week in August 1888, Van Gogh painted four sunflower works, vertical canvases of varying sizes dominated by yellow and orange bouquets, and silhouetted against resplendent green, royal blue, turquoise, and yellow backgrounds. The ubiquity of the sunflower paintings today disguises their initial role as exercises in color and brushwork, intended to decorate the modest building in Arles, France that housed the artist’s studio. Encouraged by fellow artist Paul Gauguin’s reaction to the canvases, and intent on new decorative schemes, Van Gogh returned to sunflowers five months later. His creative framing and display of the canvases in the eighteen months that followed has established their centrality to Van Gogh’s artistic identity.

“Van Gogh imagined creating 'a symphony in blue and yellow’ with a dozen paintings of sunflowers,” said Jennifer Thompson, the Gisela and Dennis Alter Curator of European Painting, Curator of the John G. Johnson Collection, and Head of European Art. “While he never painted that many canvases of his favorite flower, the exhibition will offer an unparalleled chance to study two Sunflowers and consider how he used color and brushstrokes to such expressive effect.”

The exhibition will be supplemented by an audio guide, placing the canvases in conversation with one another and within the artist’s wider practice. Van Gogh’s Sunflowers will also be accompanied by a book of essays and illustrations offering insight into the artist’s ambitions, his relationship with Gauguin, and the ways in which he framed and presented the sunflowers.

Media Contact
Philadelphia Museum of Art, Laura Coogan | laura.coogan@philamuseum.org | 215-684-7364

Exhibition Support
Van Gogh’s Sunflowers: A Symphony in Blue and Yellow is made possible by the Gloria and Jack Drosdick Fund for SpecialExhibitions and the Harriet and Ronald Lassin Fund for Special Exhibitions.

Curator
Van Gogh’s Sunflowers is curated by Jennifer A. Thompson, the Gisela and Dennis Alter Curator of European Painting and Sculpture, Curator of the John G. Johnson Collection, and Head of European Art at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

About the Philadelphia Museum of Art 
The Philadelphia Museum of Art is a national and international destination for art, but first, we are Philadelphia’s art museum—for all of the many diverse communities of the city. Through our collections, exhibitions, events, educational activities, celebrations, and more, the museum is a storyteller, and we welcome everyone to be part of the story—our doors are wide open. To learn more, visit www.philamuseum.org

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