Escape into the art. ✨
Dive into a realm of endless inspiration where every room invites you to wander, wonder, and be inspired. Whether you're seeking a quiet moment or a burst of creativity, the collection is your gateway to a special getaway.
Plan your visit and let the art take you somewhere extraordinary ➡ https://bit.ly/4iqHME8
Imagine standing in front of Manet’s Tarring the Boat—you can almost hear the fire crackling, feel the breeze against your skin. Art has the power to awaken all the senses, and at the Barnes, Albert Barnes himself often paired music with painting to deepen the experience.
In this installment of Looking and Listening, we’ll explore this connection through a meditative journey of sound and sight. Beginning with a guided crystal singing bowl sound bath, then practicing close looking at the Barnes collection to uncover the harmony between visual art and sound.
No experience with meditation is necessary—just bring curiosity, comfort (loose clothing encouraged!), and an open mind.
Looking and Listening: The Art of Atmospheric Sound
đź“… Monday, February 24
🕕 6pm – 8pm ET
đź“Ť On-site
🎓 Scholarships available
🔗 Register today ➡ https://bit.ly/3DHO0jg
Introducing brand NEW on-demand classes at the Barnes! ✨🎨
Have you ever wondered what story a painting is trying to tell you? Unlock the secrets of various artworks with our on-demand classes—designed to fit your pace and packed with interactive exploration.
In the Art of Looking: An Introduction to the Barnes Method, you’ll explore 4 engaging modules, each featuring 5 video sessions (5–15 minutes) and the Barnes's state-of-the-art Visual Experience Platform (VXP) that brings every brushstroke to life. Pause, zoom in, and uncover the hidden details that make each work of art extraordinary—on your own time.
🖼️ Start your journey today and experience art like never before ➡ https://bit.ly/4h3oeVg
🎨 Cover: Henri Matisse. Le Bonheur de vivre, also called The Joy of Life, between October 1905 and March 1906, Oil on canvas (detail). The Barnes Foundation
Attention all educators: class is in session! 🍎 đź’
2025 brings exciting new ways to learn with the Barnes through on-demand art education for grades 2–10. Watch this quick video for more information about our interactive Visual Experience Platform and how it can support in-class lessons or at-home learning. All videos are free to access, and topics for students include French, Spanish, art making, and literacy-building—each with a corresponding worksheet. And, new for 2025: Art Integration Lessons for teachers!
Check back often as this library of videos will continue to grow ➡ https://bit.ly/4jdqHy2
Experience the Barnes, your way! ✨
From the masterpieces in our galleries and special exhibitions to a delightful meal at the Garden Restaurant and unique finds in the Barnes Shop, there's something to inspire everyone. Plus, we’re open every day between Christmas and New Year’s Eve! Let the Barnes be your next unforgettable escape—plan your visit today ➡ https://bit.ly/4iqHME8
🚨 SOLD OUT 🚨
December's All About Love Film Series in collaboration with BlackStar Projects will be showcasing the work of writer-director Nefertite Nguvu. "In the Morning" is Nguvu's debut feature which relates to the theme of femininity and offers an exploration of love, infidelity, and friendship with a focus on the interiority of Black women. This screening will be followed by a discussion with Nguvu moderated by BlackStar Film Festival founder Maori Karmael Holmes.
This special three-part film series, curated by Holmes, is presented in conjunction with our latest exhibition by multihyphenate artist Mickalene Thomas, Mickalene Thomas: All About Love. The Barnes's presentation of Mickalene Thomas: All About Love is curated by Renée Mussai.
All About Love Film Series: In the Morning
📆 Saturday, December 14th
đź•‘ 2pm - 4 pm ET
🎟 Get your tickets: https://bit.ly/48w5wSW
"The show’s stop at the Barnes is a homecoming for the native of Camden, whose work is known around the world but has never had a solo exhibition in this region. Monumental and glittery, Mickalene Thomas’ portraits of Black women are a fever of reverence, play, nostalgia and erotic desire."—WHYY
"The exhibition holds up a philosophy of love as thinking. Thomas is thinking of Black women in a way not typically encountered in conventional museum exhibits; her work displays beauty outside classical white-centric standards."—Broad Street Review
The Barnes's presentation of Mickalene Thomas: All About Love is curated by Renée Mussai—on view until January 12th.
Get tickets today ➡ https://bit.ly/3NKpnnJ
Young Professionals Night is back, and it's All About Love! ✨
Get ready to mix and mingle with the emerging creatives and young professionals who fuel Philly’s vibrant cultural scene. Whether you’re looking to explore our galleries, network with fellow art lovers, or dance the night away, #BarnesYP All About Love is the place to be. The theme honors our latest special exhibition, Mickalene Thomas: All About Love. See 40-plus works by pioneering artist Mickalene Thomas Page, and experience her dynamic vision of beauty, love, desire, and community. The Barnes's presentation of All About Love is curated by Renée Mussai.
Enjoy a complimentary champagne toast starting at 7pm, music and spinning by DJ Val Fleury, an interactive collection tour: the Barnes After Dark Scavenger Hunt, tarot reading with Papa Boko and Danielle Williams, a photo booth by Pop Up Polaroid, collage and cyanotype art making with Qiaira Riley and Yannick Lowery, and a cash bar featuring beer, wine, themed cocktails, and light fare with a treat to finish the night!
🎨 Art making and activities end at 10pm
🎶 Music ends at 11pm
🎟 Get your tickets ➡ https://bit.ly/4h89RPZ
Mickalene Thomas sat down with Tonya Pendleton for "Reality Check" on WURD Radio—the only African-American owned and operated talk radio station in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, to discuss a range of compelling topics, from her creative process and sources of inspiration, to the influence of her mother, and her deep ties to Camden.
In its only East Coast presentation, All About Love features approximately 50 stunning works by pioneering artist Mickalene Thomas created over the last two decades, centering Black femininity, beauty, agency, and kinship in fresh, powerful ways. The Barnes's presentation of Mickalene Thomas: All About Love is curated by Renée Mussai.
Mickalene Thomas: All About Love is now on view!
🎟 Get your tickets: https://bit.ly/4hgQtQO
✨ Mickalene Thomas: All About Love is now on view at the Barnes!
All About Love is the first major international exhibition of Mickalene Thomas’s work, centering the beauty, power, and sensuality of Black women through photography, collage, painting, video, and installation. Mickalene Thomas Page's art celebrates her close relationships with mothers, daughters, lovers, and friends, presenting empowered images of beauty and desire through a Black feminist perspective. Curated by Renée Mussai, this exhibition will be at the Barnes until January 12, the only East Coast stop on its tour.
"To see yourself, and for others to see you, is a form of validation. I'm interested in that very mysterious and mystical way we relate to each other in the world." - Mickalene Thomas
🎟 Tickets: https://bit.ly/4dT1N3y
After debuting at The Broad this spring, All About Love is at the Barnes through Jan. 12, 2025, and travels to the Hayward Gallery in London, and then to Les Abattoirs, Musée – Frac Occitanie in Toulouse. Further venues to be confirmed.
đź–Ľ On view:
The Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia (October 20, 2024–January 12, 2025)
Hayward Gallery, London (February 11–May 5, 2025)
les Abattoirs, Musée – Frac Occitanie Toulouse (June 13 – November 9, 2025)
The age-old question: does size really matter? Well, to us, it does! It turns out that miniatures have appeared in art practices all around the world and throughout centuries of art-making. Join the Barnes online as we use our Visual Experience Platform (VXP), an online learning tool that lets you to get close to art in ways that can’t be experienced in person, to see the tiniest details in some of the smallest art—including works from the Barnes collection and other notable museum collections around the world. Help us discover why miniatures can feel like magic. ✨
Size Does Matter: A History of Miniatures in Art
📆 Wednesdays, November 6 – December 4
đź•‘ 2pm - 4pm ET
🎓 Scholarships available
đź”— Register: https://bit.ly/3Bzplw8