“Flag,” Jasper Johns, 1960-66. Encaustic and printed collage on paper laid down on canvas, 17 1/2 x 26 3/4 (framed 34 3/4 x 44 inches), 1894.4. The Middleton Family Collection.
A Nation of Artists at PAFA marks a special moment—the reopening of the Historic Landmark Building, a masterpiece of 19th-century architecture by Frank Furness and George W. Hewitt. As the first structure in the U.S. designed specifically for both exhibition and art education, its legacy as a museum and school for artistic innovation continues.
At PAFA, the exhibition is curated thematically, grouping artworks as never before assembled to explore new ideas, connections, and interpretations of American art. Through these dynamic juxtapositions, visitors will see centuries of American art through a powerful, new lens.
The installation will also include contemporary art from the 21st century, placing today’s most exciting living artists in dialogue with those of the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. Throughout 2026 and 2027, artist talks and public programs will further enrich the experience of the exhibition, offering opportunities to engage with the artists shaping American art now.
The exhibition at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Art (PAFA) will collaborate with a simultaneous presentation at the Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMA) in celebration of the nation’s 250th anniversary in 2026. Across the two museums, A Nation of Artists will feature more than 1,000 works, including more than 100 iconic paintings and decorative arts from the Middleton Family Collection. Together, these works will offer fresh perspectives on the evolving story of American art and experience.
Guided by five core themes, A Nation of Artists at PAFA reimagines what American art has been—and what it can become. It’s an invitation to reflect, to question, and to see the evolving story of this nation through the eyes of its artists.
Prosperity, Abundance, and Inequity
Discover how prosperity and inequality have shaped American art—from early portraiture and elite patronage to powerful reflections on labor, migration, and resilience.
Internationalism and Global Exchange
Follow American artists abroad and at home to see how global influences shaped their work. From World Fairs to Paris Salons, visitors can explore how artists were influenced by cultural curiosity, artistic exchange, and lifelong learning.
Looking West
Visitors feel the tension of American western expansion, colonization, and cultural interchange—revealing how art shaped and challenged our visions of the western frontier and communities. What was the west?
Horizons: Landscapes and Spaces Between
From the sublime to the surreal, artists have long turned to the land for inspiration. Examine how nature—real and imagined—has been a place of personal, spiritual, and environmental meaning throughout American art.
Geometry, Industry, and the Modern Imagination
Trace how medicine, technology, and modern design transformed visual expression. From geometric cityscapes to abstract patterns, explore how artists engaged with the changing environment and the possibilities of the modern world.