Winslow Homer (American, 1836-1910), Fox Hunt, 1893, oil on canvas, 38 x 68 1/2 in., Courtesy of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia. Joseph E. Temple Fund, 1894.4. Photograph by Adrian Cubillas.

Making American Artists: Stories from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, 1776-1976

Oct 31, 2025 – Jan 25, 2026

Making American Artists presents the Pennsylvania Academy for the Fine Arts’ formidable collection of iconic historic works alongside stellar pieces by traditionally underrepresented artists. By exploring PAFA’s impressive collection with a critical eye, this exhibition catalogs changes in our national artistic identity, weighing what it meant to be an “American” artist from when the institution was founded to the late twentieth century.

Painter and scientist Charles Willson Peale and sculptor William Rush founded PAFA in 1805 to champion American art and artists.

Making American Artists features works from PAFA’s esteemed collection that helped define new chapters in the history of American art. Amidst this expansive selection emerge the compelling stories of underrepresented artists who found unparalleled support and inspiration at PAFA, including Mary Cassatt, Barkley L. Hendricks, Edward Hopper, Alice Neel, Georgia O’Keeffe, Laura Wheeler Waring, and Sonia Sekula.

The show also features icons of PAFA’s history and collection, such as Gilbert Stuart’s George Washington (Lansdowne Portrait) (1796) and Charles Willson Peale’s The Artist in His Museum (1822).

This exhibition is curated by Anna O. Marley, PhD, Chief of Curatorial Affairs and Kenneth R. Woodcock Curator of Historical American Art at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, where she has curated over fifteen exhibitions. Marley is a scholar of American art and material culture from the colonial era to today.

The Opening Celebration is scheduled for Saturday, October 25, 2025, with a Member-exclusive Preview Day on Sunday, October 26, 2025. The exhibition will open to the public on Friday, October 31, 2025.

Tickets for the Opening Celebration and this exhibition will be on sale soon – stay tuned!

EXHIBITION PREVIEW

Gilbert Stuart (American, 1755-1828), George Washington (The Landsdowne Portrait), 1796, oil on canvas, 96 x 60 in., courtesy of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, Bequest of William Bingham, 1811.2. Photograph by Adrian Cubillas.

Attributed to Joshua Johnson (American, active 1796-1824), Unidentified Woman, ca. 1810, oil on canvas, 32 1/2 x 24 in., courtesy of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, Gift of Mrs. Edgar L. Smith, 1980.5.1. Photograph by Adrian Cubillas.

Charles Willson Peale (American, 1741-1827), The Artist in His Museum, 1822, oil on canvas, 103 3/4 x 79 7/8 in., courtesy of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, Gift of Mrs. Sarah Harrison (The Joseph Harrison, Jr. Collection). 1878.1.2. Photograph by Adrian Cubillas.

Margaretta Angelica Peale (American, 1795-1882), Strawberries and Cherries, ca. 1813-1830, oil on canvas, 10 1/16 x 12 1/8 in., courtesy of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, source unknown, 1924.11. Photograph by Adrian Cubillas.

Thomas Moran (American, 1837-1926), Two Women in the Woods, 1870, oil on canvas, 20 x 30 in., courtesy of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, Orton P. Jackson Fund in memory of Emily Penrose Jackson, 2015.19. Photograph by Adrian Cubillas.

Mary Cassatt (American, 1844-1926), Baby on Mother’s Arm, ca. 1891, oil on canvas, 25 x 19 ¾ in., courtesy of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, Bequest of Peter Borie, 2003.15. Photograph by Adrian Cubillas.

Winslow Homer (American, 1836-1910), Fox Hunt, 1893, oil on canvas, 38 x 68 1/2 in., courtesy of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, Joseph E. Temple Fund, 1894.4. Photograph by Adrian Cubillas.

Edward Hopper (American, 1882-1967), Apartment Houses, 1923, oil on canvas, 24 x 28 15/16 in., courtesy of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, John Lambert Fund, 1925.5, © Heirs of Josephine N. Hopper / Licensed by Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY. Photograph by Adrian Cubillas.

Georgia O’Keeffe (American, 1887-1986), Red Canna, 1923, oil on canvas, 12 x 9 7/8 in., courtesy of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, The Vivian O. and Meyer P. Potamkin Collection, Bequest of Vivian O. Potamkin, 2003.1.8, © 2023 Georgia O’Keeffe Museum / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photograph by Adrian Cubillas.

Alice Neel (American, 1900-1984), Investigation of Poverty at the Russell Sage Foundation, 1933, oil on canvas, 24 1/8 x 30 1/8 in., courtesy of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia. Art by Women Collection, Gift of Linda Lee Alter, 2010.27.2, © The Estate of Alice Neel, Courtesy of The Estate of Alice Neel and David Zwirner. Photograph by Adrian Cubillas.

Horace Pippin (American, 1888-1946), John Brown Going to His Hanging, 1942, oil on canvas, 24 1/8 x 30 1/4 in., courtesy of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, John Lambert Fund, 1943.11. Photograph by Adrian Cubillas.

Edward L. Loper (American, 1916-2011), Sunday Afternoon, 1948, oil on canvas, 20 x 24 in., courtesy of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, and Edward Loper Sr., Gift of Dr. George J. Roth, 1970.34. Photograph by Adrian Cubillas.

Andrew Wyeth (American, 1917-2009), Young America, 1950, egg tempera on gessoed board (“Renaissance Panel”), 32 1/2 x 45 5/16 in., courtesy of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, Joseph E. Temple Fund, 1951.17, © 2023 Andrew Wyeth / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photograph by Adrian Cubillas.

Barkley L. Hendricks (American, 1917-2009), J. S. B. III, 1968, oil on canvas, 48 x 34 3/8 in., courtesy of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Richardson Dilworth, 1969.17, © Barkley L. Hendricks, Courtesy of the Estate of Barkley L. Hendricks and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York. Photograph by Adrian Cubillas.