Celebrating Exchange Across Cultures and Nations
Director's Desk
Spring 2026 update from Vradenburg Director & CEO Jonathan P. Binstock.
The Phillips Collection is thrilled to present Miró and the United States, a major international exhibition celebrating the dynamic dialogue between Joan Miró and the burgeoning American art scene of the mid-20th century. At its heart, this exhibition is about exchange—across cultures and nations—and the dialogue that unfolds when artists and ideas move beyond borders. Miró’s travels between Spain and the United States in the 1940s through the 1960s feel especially resonant today as they remind us that art can be at once deeply personal, profoundly political, and a powerful force for connection. We are honored to co-organize this exhibition with the Fundació Joan Miró in Barcelona.
The opening reception for Miró and the United States: Joan Punyet Miró wearing the Duncan Phillips Award and Jonathan Binstock; Joan Punyet Miró, with Fundació Joan Miró President Sara Puig, Fundació Joan Miró Director and exhibition co-curator Marko Daniel, exhibition co-curator Dolors RodrÍguez Roig, guests of the Fundació Joan Miró, Beatriz Bolton, and Elizabeth Racheva. Photo: Mariah Miranda Photography
At the opening reception for the exhibition, we presented Joan Punyet Miró, the artist’s grandson, with the Duncan Phillips Award. This honor recognizes individuals whose lives and work embody our founder’s conviction in art’s transformative power. As a scholar, curator, and artist, Joan has brought new vitality to his grandfather’s work and life, deepening its study, stewarding its care, and inspiring new interpretations for audiences today. This May, at our Annual Gala, we will pay tribute to the Fundació itself for its remarkable 50-year commitment to preserving and advancing Joan Miró’s legacy. The Gala will also honor the late abstract painter Pat Steir, whose extraordinary career spanned six decades.
Exhibition curator John Hanhardt and peter campus with campus’s work blessingway. Photo: AK Blythe
Beyond this exhibition, we continue to create spaces and programs that spark curiosity and creativity throughout the museum. peter campus: there somewhere features the meditative video works the phillips quartets, which we are excited to have recently acquired. Our newly opened Imagination Gallery on the second floor of the Phillips House is a refreshed, hands-on space where visitors of all ages can explore, play, and create. Soon, our Library and Archives will feature an illustrated timeline tracing the evolution of that space and some of the scholars who have used it over the years, including my own visit in the mid-1990s as a graduate student researching Sam Gilliam. In our Community Exhibition Gallery, don’t miss Be Curious, a vibrant student-curated exhibition from Northwestern High School celebrating 20 years of our landmark school partnerships program.
Student curators from Northwestern High School installing their exhibition. Photo: AK Blythe
As we wrap up the 85th season of Phillips Music, we invite you to join us for our final concerts, with select performances available via free livestream for those who cannot attend in person. And exciting developments are on the horizon at Phillips@THEARC; we look forward to sharing more news this summer.
Thank you for your continued support of the arts! I look forward to seeing you in the galleries and celebrating with many of you at our Annual Gala and After Party.
