Liberty or Death: Don Troiani’s Paintings of the Revolutionary War

Without the benefit of photography, the Revolutionary War can be difficult to envision. Using a masterful combination of “artistry and accuracy” (New York Times), nationally renowned historical artist Don Troiani has dedicated much of his career to transforming the modern understanding of what the Revolutionary War truly looked like. His research-based paintings capture the reality and drama of crucial moments such as the 1775 Battle of Bunker Hill, General Washington’s daring 1776 attack on Trenton, and the American and French victory at Yorktown in 1781.

Liberty or Death: Don Troiani’s Paintings of the Revolutionary War will plunge visitors into some of the most pivotal events of America’s fight for independence and reveal Troiani’s research-based artistic process. For the first time in a museum, this special exhibition will bring together over 40 of Troiani’s original Revolutionary War paintings and pair them with 40 artifacts from his personal collection, that of the Museum, and several private collectors. The exhibit will also unveil Troiani’s latest canvas, a painting of the young African American sailor and Philadelphian James Forten witnessing Black and Native American troops in the ranks of the Continental Army as they march past Independence Hall on their way to Yorktown, Virginia. The painting was commissioned in 2019 by the Museum with funding provided by the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Historic Trail of the National Park Service.