Four US Museums Launch Semiquincentennial Exhibitions for 2026

Four American art museums are mounting exhibitions for the nation's 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 2026. Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas, presents 'America 250: Common Threads' through July 27, 2026, featuring historic documents, an early engraving of the Declaration, patriotic snapshots, and souvenirs from the 1876 Centennial. The National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., runs 'American Icon: The US Flag in Art' through December 6, 2026, with over 30 works by Jasper Johns, Gordon Parks, Childe Hassam, and Faith Ringgold. The Amon Carter Museum of American Art in Fort Worth, Texas, hosts 'The Statue of Liberty From Bartholdi to Warhol' from August 16, 2026, to January 3, 2027, including 100 artworks from more than 70 artists and one of five small-scale bronze reductions made during Bartholdi's lifetime. The Autry Museum of the American West in Los Angeles presents 'Life, Liberty, and Los Angeles' through January 31, 2027, exploring the Declaration's language through the lens of Latinx and Indigenous cultures. Other institutions like the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; The Henry Ford; and the Louisiana State Museum also mark the anniversary.