THE NATION’S PAST AND PRESENT COME TOGETHER IN THESE SPECIAL EXHIBITIONS COMMEMORATING A HISTORIC MILESTONE FOR THE USA
By Andrew Nodell | January 6, 2026
As the United States prepares to celebrate 250 years of independence, museums throughout the country are mounting special exhibitions that showcase a historic range of American art and objects that reflect the nation’s enduring spirit of freedom while also examining facets of our fraught history. Artistic interpretations of American icons like the Statue of Liberty, Rosie the Riveter, and Old Glory will be presented alongside past and contemporary voices that illustrate our foundation as a republic built on immigration, innovation, and a unique melting pot of cultural influences.
Norman Rockwell (1894-1978), ‘Liberty Bell (Celebration),’ 1976. Cover illustration for ‘American Artist.’ Oil on canvas. Norman Rockwell Museum Collection, NRM.1988.01. Licensed by the Norman Rockwell Family Agency. All Rights Reserved.
American Stories: From Revolution to Rockwell
Norman Rockwell Museum, Stockbridge, Massachusetts
Drawing on the Norman Rockwell Museum’s expansive collection, as well as significant loans from institutions and private collections, American Stories will examine how artists from the Revolutionary era to today have used iconic imagery to portray American ideals, achievements, and struggles. Encompassing nearly 100 works from artists including Rockwell, J.C. Leyendecker, Faith Ringgold, John James Audubon, N.C. Wyeth, and Kay WalkingStick, the exhibition revolves around nine themes, including our understanding of the natural world, the evolution of technology, and how visual imagery fuels social change and shapes public opinion. “The role of artists and illustrators in framing the trajectory of the United States of America over the past 250 years continues to the present day, illuminating a bold vision to create a nation governed of, by, and for the people, seeking human rights and freedom for all,” says Laurie Norton Moffatt, museum director and CEO. “American Stories aims to illustrate these aspirational ideals.” June 6–October 26.
Roy Lichtenstein (1923–1997), ‘I Love Liberty,’ 1982. Planographic print. Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; The Roy Lichtenstein Study Collection, gift of the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation, 2019.161. © 2025 Estate of Roy Lichtenstein/DACS.
The Statue of Liberty from Bartholdi to Warhol
Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth, Texas
Blending nearly 100 artworks by more than 70 artists, The Statue of Liberty from Bartholdi to Warhol examines the enduring legacy of Lady Liberty as a definitive American icon and inspiration to generations of artists from the 1870s to today. Co-organized with the Denver Art Museum, this show presents themes of patriotism, resistance, and immigration. It is anchored by a cast of Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi’s bronze sculpture Liberty Enlightening the World (Statue of Liberty) (1894-1901), one of just five domestic-scale reductions made during the French artist’s lifetime. Four distinct sections illustrate the statue’s history from its 19th-century origins and initial public reception to its importance as a symbol of patriotism throughout the wartime years and later as a pop-culture icon through works by Andy Warhol, Robert Rauschenberg, and Roy Lichtenstein, among others. August 16–January 3, 2027.
Jasper Johns, ‘Flags II [trial proof],’ 1967–1970. Color lithograph on wove paper [trial proof].
Sheet: 87.63 x 64.77 cm (34 1/2 x 25 1/2 in.). National Gallery of Art, Patrons’ Permanent Fund and Special Friends of the National Gallery of Art. 2006.136.31. © 2025 Jasper Johns and ULAE / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY, Published by Universal Limited Art Editions.
Dear America: Artists Explore the American Experience
American Icon: The U.S. Flag in Art
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Beginning this spring, the National Gallery of Art will kick off a series of events commemorating America’s 250th anniversary, first with a thoughtful reimagining of the museum’s American galleries, followed by two special exhibitions. Comprising more than 100 works on paper, Dear America examines how artists have interpreted themes of people and community, freedom, and land from the 19th century to the present day. This comprehensive exploration features prints, drawings, and photographs by artists including Ansel Adams, Tom Jones (Ho-Chunk Nation), Alfred Stieglitz, Ed Ruscha, Carrie Mae Weems, and Robert Indiana. American Icon, meanwhile, investigates the flag as a potent and polarizing symbol, featuring works in various media by Dorothea Lange, Gordon Parks, Jasper Johns, and others. The National Gallery has also launched a partnership program that will bring masterpieces from its collection to 10 museums across the country, from the Anchorage Museum in Alaska to the Figge Art Museum in Davenport, Iowa. The works on loan through the “Across the Nation” lending program will remain on view through early 2027. Dear America, April 11–September 20; American Icon, June 6–December 6.
Thomas Jefferson wrote the first draft of the Declaration of Independence on this portable desk in June 1776. Jefferson designed the desk with a hinged writing board and a locking drawer for papers, pens, and inkwell. Photo courtesy of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.
In Pursuit of Life, Liberty & Happiness
National Museum of American History, Washington, D.C.
Encompassing three floors and 300,000 square feet of exhibition space at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, In Pursuit of Life, Liberty & Happiness features 250 objects of historic significance, including the desk Thomas Jefferson used to draft the Declaration of Independence and the gunboat Philadelphia, the only surviving example of an early U.S. Navy vessel. Opening in the spring, the exhibition invites visitors to the nation’s capital to “reflect on the enduring and sometimes delayed or denied promises that surround the ongoing pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness.” Opens May 14.
Gertrude Knappenberger, ‘Centennial Quilt,’ 1876. Cotton with cotton embroidery. 82 1/2 in. x 74 1/2 in. American Folk Art Museum, Gift of Rhea Goodman, 1979.9.1.
America 250: Common Threads
Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas
Both commemorating the events that led to the birth of a nation and reflecting on 250 years of American art and civic participation, America 250: Common Threads is anchored by an early engraving of the Declaration of Independence alongside other historic documents, paintings, textiles, and other works from 1776 to the present day. From 20th-century patriotic snapshots to souvenirs of America’s centennial in 1876, this exhibition examines symbols that have long inspired artists’ interpretations of the United States, including the use of the eagle, portraits of George Washington, and documentation of the moon landing in applied art such as quilts. Works from contemporary artists Howard Finster, Kay WalkingStick, and Robert Colescott further illustrate the continued use of these patriotic motifs. March 14–July 27.
John Singleton Copley (1738–1815), ‘Paul Revere,’ 1768. Oil on canvas. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Gift of Joseph W. Revere, William B. Revere, and Edward H.R. Revere. Photograph © Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
Reinstallation of the Art of the Americas Galleries
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Timed with Juneteenth celebrations and just ahead of the July 4th holiday, the reopening of MFA Boston’s 18th-century Art of the Americas galleries will focus on themes of diversity, resistance, and global trade, with a spotlight on the often-overlooked roles of Indigenous peoples and enslaved communities. The revitalized galleries will feature beloved treasures from the museum collection, including John Singleton Copley’s 1778 painting Watson and the Shark and Paul Revere’s 1768 Sons of Liberty Bowl, as well as many previously unseen works that depict the country’s multicultural history. Opens June 19.
![Jaune Quick-to-See Smith_What is an American[]_2001-2003](https://intelligentcollector.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Jaune-Quick-to-See-Smith_What-is-an-American_2001-2003.jpg)
Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, ‘What is an American?,’ 2001-2003. Lithograph, chine collé, monotype. 68 x 40 inches (172.72 x 101.6 cm). Gift of Ofelia Garcia, The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.
A Nation of Artists
Philadelphia Museum of Art & Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Featuring more than 1,000 works across both PMA and PAFA, this once-in-a-lifetime exhibition of American art includes selections from The Middleton Family Collection, one of the country’s most significant private art holdings. Spanning 300 years and a range of mediums, A Nation of Artists encompasses the American creative spirit with everything from the impressionist elegance of Mary Cassatt to the early realism of Charles Willson Peale and the expressive potency of Horace Pippin. Contemporary artists Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, Rina Banerjee, and Mickalene Thomas expand the visual interpretation of American life into the present. PMA, April 12, 2026–July 5, 2027; Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, April 12, 2026–September 5, 2027.
