What are the opening hours?

Monday 11am - 5pm Thursday 11am - 5pm Friday 11am - 5pm Saturday 11am - 5pm Sunday 11am - 5pm

Barnes Foundation

Name: Barnes Foundation
Address: 2025 Benjamin Franklin Pkwy, Philadelphia, PA, 19130, US
Telephone: +12152787000
Price range: $$
Rating: 4.7

Home
United States
Philadelphia, PA
Barnes Foundation

We offer fresh new ways to through a renowned collection, exhibitions + programs.
(1346)

The Barnes was founded in 1922 by Philadelphia art collector Dr. Albert C. Barnes, with the belief that learning with and through art is a powerful agent for personal growth and social progress. In the Barnes collection, artists such as Renoir and Picasso share space with remarkable African masks and Native American jewelry in ensembles that invite the viewer to draw their own connections across a

rtistic traditions and time for a singularly immersive experience. Since relocating to Center City in 2012, the Barnes has continued this visionary legacy. From thought-provoking exhibitions that champion artists across diasporas, identities, periods, and disciplines, to robust social and educational programs that bring together communities and learners of all ages, the Barnes sparks exploration of our world through art.

07/23/2024

“You can’t walk into Matisse & Renoir: New Encounters, the current show at the Barnes Foundation, and not be astounded. Who else can put on an exhibition like this?”

“To see [these] magnificent works from the permanent collection, singly, with space around them, is like discovering masterworks you never saw before.”

Read the full review in The Brooklyn Rail 🔗 https://bit.ly/3LuH1uB

This once-in-a-lifetime exhibition is on view until September 8. Get tickets today 🎟️ https://bit.ly/3xRTh5q

📷 Henri Matisse artworks: © 2024 Succession H. Matisse / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

07/22/2024

From Philadelphia’s public spaces to the National Mall and other sites across the country, how are artists and local changemakers collectively transforming how monuments are created, interpreted, and experienced?

In the online The Lives and Afterlives of Monuments, taking place on Thursday, August 22, from 10am – 4pm ET and taught by Monument Lab director and cofounder Paul Farber, we’ll explore the history of public monuments and their role in shaping cultural memory. Through activities and discussions, we'll examine the ways monuments can animate democracy and foster generational change.

Check out our website for more information and to enroll 🔗 https://bit.ly/3QDa16h

Scholarships are available 🎓

📸 Paul Ramírez Jonas. Beyond Granite: Pulling Together, Let Freedom Ring, 2023. Photo by Steve Weinik

07/21/2024

In the last decade of his life, Paul Cézanne produced three enormous multi-figure bathing scenes that are often regarded as the culminating works of his career. Of these, the largest and most resolved is at the Philadelphia Museum of Art; another is at the National Gallery, London.

This painting, acquired by Dr. Barnes in 1933, is in many ways the most ambitious of the trio. Probably begun around 1895, The Large Bathers is an intensely physical painting that is thought to have consumed Cézanne for roughly ten years—a photograph taken in 1904 shows the picture in a still-unfinished state. But even without this documentary evidence, the canvas bears the marks of a long, labored working process, with a surface so impossibly thick with paint that it rises in clumps in some areas and forms sculptural ridges in others.

The subject is perfectly conventional: a group of nudes relaxes in a landscape, with trees arching overhead and still-life elements in the foreground, tropes borrowed from a long tradition of pastoral imagery. But there is *nothing* conventional about the way this scene is painted. While Cézanne's contemporaries often presented bathers in harmony with the landscape, here nature seems menacing, and the landscape's relationship to its human inhabitants is difficult to understand 🤔

Though elegantly arranged in postures borrowed from classical sculpture and baroque painting, the figures themselves are at once beautiful and unsightly. Perhaps the most jarring is the walking figure at left, whose towel cascades theatrically into the foreground but whose head is a mere k**b of flesh 👀

🖼️ Paul Cézanne. The Large Bathers (Les grandes baigneuses), c. 1894–1906, Oil on canvas. The Barnes Foundation, BF934.
📷 Ensemble view. Main Room, East Wall

07/20/2024

Relax, it's Saturday 😴

🎨 William Glackens. Girl Asleep, c. 1916, Pastel and charcoal on wove paper. The Barnes Foundation, BF642. © 2024 Estate of William James Glackens.

07/19/2024

This painting, shown in detail, is attributed to the great Venetian painter , and was probably made for an aristocratic household for placement over a door (swipe to see it in its full length ➡️). The subject is a pastoral landscape—an idyllic scene of rural life in which nature is presented as a comforting source of physical and spiritual sustenance. Note how the shepherd is cradled by his surroundings, with plentiful greenery for his plump goats. Pastoral scenes were popular in Europe in the early 16th century.

In our August Close-Looking Immersion —the latest in our *very* popular new series—taking place online on Wednesday, August 14, from 12 – 1:30pm ET, we’ll spend 90 minutes looking at, thinking about, and discussing this single work of art. We’ll start to notice things we would have missed had we just glanced quickly—little details, individual brushstrokes, overall harmonies—and in doing so we’ll not only gain a deeper visual understanding of this painting, we’ll also sharpen our observational and critical thinking skills and become more adept at communicating about art overall.

Check out our website for more information and to enroll 🔗 https://bit.ly/4drUAI9

🎨 Titian (Tiziano Vecellio). Sleeping Shepherd (detail), c. 1500–10. The Barnes Foundation, BF977. Public Domain.
📸 Ensemble View, Room 3, West Wall. The Barnes Foundation.

07/18/2024

"It's the perfect summer exhibition, filled with beautiful, bold colors that all ages will enjoy."—Curator Cindy Kang, via NBC10 Philadelphia

Matisse & Renoir: New Encounters at the Barnes is on view through September 8. See beloved works by two titans of modernism in new conversations for the first time—only at the Barnes.

Watch on Philly Live 📹 https://bit.ly/3zEXkCl

This is a limited-time opportunity to experience beloved works in exciting new contexts. Get tickets now! 🎟️ https://bit.ly/3xdIfa2

07/17/2024

Excited for Blackstar Fest? So are we! Join us as we celebrate the visual and storytelling traditions of Black, Brown, and Indigenous people from around the world at our First Friday mixer, taking place August 2 from 6-9pm.

Our collaboration with BlackStar features a night of music by Ethiopian-born, Washington, DC–raised R&B and soul singer Wayna. Her Grammy-nominated music celebrates her cultural background and influences like Jill Scott, Lauryn Hill, and Erykah Badu. Wayna has released three albums, toured the world with her band, and shared the stage with artists like Stevie Wonder. An elected national trustee of the Grammys, she co-created the new category Best Song for Social Change.

Plus, catch the world premiere of Wayna’s newest music video “Good on Paper,” directed by BlackStar founder Maori Holmes, and dance to beats by DJ JAMZ on the West Terrace.

🎤 Live music sets: 6:30 & 7:45pm
🎧 DJ JAMZ on the West Terrace: 7 – 9pm

***Use code “BLACKSTAR24” at checkout for $10 tickets***
Get your tickets now! This event will sell out 🔜 https://bit.ly/4bHtfzB

07/16/2024

“A revelatory installation. . . . It’s a treat to see everything in Matisse & Renoir: New Encounters at the Barnes in an unexpected way.” —The Wall Street Journal

Read the full review 🗞️ https://bit.ly/4bJ0eU0

Get tickets to see this limited-time installation while you can! https://bit.ly/3xdIfa2

07/15/2024

IT IS HOT 🥵

Come to the Barnes, we have excellent air conditioning.

🎟️🔗 https://bit.ly/4dqc5IS

07/13/2024

Happy 🤘

Not *that* kind of rock—actual rocks! 🪨 🤓

Rocks may not seem very important to most people, but they were a recurring motif for Paul Cézanne. His interest in geology is evident through his careful depiction of rocks and their surroundings in roughly thirty canvases.

Cézanne rented a small shack on the edge of Bibémus, a rock quarry to the east of Aix-en-Provence, around 1895. The quarry had been abandoned since the 1830s, providing the artist with a landscape of eroded geometric shapes. The vertical format of this painting highlights the hill on the left, leading gradually down into the overgrowth of a ravine and moving upward to the right, where a steep, sheer rock face displays the manmade changes to the landscape.

🎨 Paul Cézanne. Bibémus Quarry (Carrière de Bibémus), c. 1895, Oil on canvas. The Barnes Foundation, BF34.

07/12/2024

Happy Birthday to Amedeo Modigliani born in 1884 🎂

Modigliani was an Italian artist known for his unique style characterized by elongated figures and faces. Though his work was initially overlooked, his portraits and nudes later gained immense popularity. Modigliani began his artistic journey in Italy, studying the art of antiquity and the Renaissance, before moving to Paris in 1906. There, he associated with influential artists like Pablo and Constantin . By 1912, was exhibiting his stylized sculptures alongside Cubist artists at the Salon d'Automne. Despite struggling for recognition during his lifetime, his works have since become highly sought-after. Tragically, he passed away from tubercular meningitis in 1920 at the age of 35 in Paris.

Did you know? 💡 Dr. Albert Barnes was one of the earliest collectors in the United States of Modigliani’s work, though he didn’t start acquiring Modigliani’s paintings until after the artist’s untimely death.

There are 16 paintings by Modigliani in the Barnes collection. See them all here 🔗 https://bit.ly/3QCeUg5

🎨 Amedeo Modigliani. Madame Hanka Zborowska Leaning on a Chair (Madame Hanka Zborowska accoudée à une chaise), 1919. BF375.

07/11/2024

What role can art play in justice reform? It can raise awareness of issues surrounding mass incarceration, provide a creative outlet for those imprisoned, and remediate the lasting effects of imprisonment. In the one-day workshop Art and Restorative Justice, taking place *on-site* at the Barnes on Wednesday, August 7, from 10am – 4pm, we’ll discuss these questions and more, in close consideration of works in a special exhibition of art created by artists at the State Correctional Institute (SCI) Phoenix, southeast Pennsylvania’s male maximum security prison.

Check out our website for more information and to enroll 🔗 https://bit.ly/3QzWpJ6

Scholarships are available 🎓

🎨 Al Collantes. Incan Princess, 2024

07/10/2024

Fall are now open for enrollment 📢

We’re excited to present a diverse array of class topics, perfect for everyone from the art-knowledgeable to the art-curious 🖼️

Take a closer look at how artists like Manet and Matisse redefined color and its use in modern art or examine the connections between painting and poetry and how they communicate an artist’s philosophy, desires, or cultural orientation. Study Cézanne’s influence on European modernism and trace the development of his visual language or delve into the life and work of Van Gogh, one of the greatest, and most mythologized, painters of the modern era. Or dive into the art and history of miniatures and learn what compels artists to make works on such a tiny scale, and why humans have been fascinated by them for centuries. And so much more, beginning September! 🥳

Classes take place on-site at the Barnes, and online via our innovative learning platform that allows you to get up close to artworks in ways that can’t be experienced in person 😎

Barnes classes will:
✔️ Sharpen your observational and critical thinking skills.
✔️ Improve your ability to communicate about art.
✔️ Deepen your appreciation for cultures and histories outside your own.

Check out all our classes and enroll today – there’s still time to register for July and August classes too! 🔗 https://bit.ly/3WcTtVU

Scholarships are available 🎓

🎨 Paul Cézanne. Still Life, 1892–94. The Barnes Foundation, BF910. Public Domain.

07/09/2024

"Moving , joyful, and just incredible."

"Some of these paintings make me go, wait, that's been here all along??"

"The perfect summer show."

These are just a few of the glowing reviews we've been hearing from people who have experienced Matisse & Renoir: New Encounters at the Barnes 🥰

In a rare display, two iconic modernists Dr. Albert C. Barnes collected voraciously—Henri Matisse and Pierre-Auguste Renoir—come together like never before. Through extraordinary new arrangements, experience the singular Barnes collection from a fresh perspective and explore a poignant story of artistic mentorship and friendship 🧑‍🎨🧑‍🎨

Don’t miss this remarkable opportunity to see beloved works in a new context for the first time, only at the Barnes 🔗 https://bit.ly/3xdIfa2

07/08/2024

POV: Heading to work after a long holiday weekend 😐

Balls of glass, stacked beside the roadway, identify the building in this painting by Van Gogh as a factory that made lantern globes for streetlights. It is the Verrierie du Pont du Clichy (Clichy Bridge Glass Factory), which was situated on the outskirts of Paris (in the district of Clichy) and employed around 130 people. The scene here is of the factory forecourt, filled with barrels and wicker baskets. A lone worker, walking away from the viewer, centers the busy composition.

The factory, which opened in 1866, also made soda bottles and glass ornaments. Dark smoke, billowing into the dappled blue sky, indicates the activity within its walls. Manufacturing had expanded rapidly in late nineteenth-century France, which made sights like this a novelty for adventurous artists. Van Gogh made several paintings of the industrial landscape, in Clichy and in neighboring Asnières, where his friend Émile Bernard had a studio.

🎨 Vincent van Gogh. The Factory, July–September 1887, Oil on canvas. The Barnes Foundation, BF303.

07/07/2024

Barnes on the Block is one week from today! 🥳

On Sunday, July 14, from 12-5pm, meet us on the Parkway in Philly for visual art displays, family-friendly art making, live performances, food trucks, a beer garden, and more, in celebration of the 40th anniversary of Mural Arts Philadelphia, the nation’s largest public art program 📢🎨 This event is free and open to the public—all are welcome 🤗

➕ Plus, see the first-floor collection galleries, Matisse & Renoir: New Encounters at the Barnes, and the restorative-justice exhibition Visions for free!

Registration for timed admission to the galleries will open at 10am on Thursday, July 11, on the Barnes’s website 🔗 https://bit.ly/3XexfE3

What’s On:
🍺 Beer, wine, and other refreshments at the Barnes on the Block Beer Garden
🍟 Local eats from food trucks including The Munchy Machine
🎶 DJ sets by Ben Arsenal and It’s DJ Gizormances by TAMEARTZ, West Powelton Steppers and Drum Squad, Batala Philly, and more.

Join creative space-makers and artists for activations along the Parkway:
🎨 Enjoy live painting led by Mural Arts Philadelphia.
🏺Experience a pop-up ceramics studio with Clay Studio’s Claymobile
🎧 Celebrate hip-hop through dance with TAMEARTZ
🪶Get a personalized poem by Marshall James Kavanaugh
🆔 Make your identity symbol with Cesar Viveros and Lemus
🖼️ Create a collage with Collage Philadelphia
✂️ Craft with Fleisher Art Memorial’s Color Wheels
🏮 Decorate your own lantern with Ken Johnston.

with Mural Arts Philadelphia is supported by PNC Arts Alive 🙏

07/06/2024

"Visitors looping through the wings of Degas and Renoir paintings at the Barnes Foundation will soon stumble upon a much more contemporary collection. The 22-piece exhibit features work from artists impacted by the justice system, including men at the maximum security state prison in Montgomery County.

"Visions," which will be on view through Aug. 26, is a collaboration between the Barnes and Mural Arts Philadelphia. Since 2008, the latter has offered paid apprenticeships to those 18 and older returning from prison and youth impacted by the justice system in other ways. Artists in that program, called The Guild, will be featured in "Visions," but so will men from SCI Phoenix in Collegeville. It's the latest in a string of shows to come out of the restorative justice initiative started in 2018 by Mural Arts and the museum on the Ben Franklin Parkway."

Read more from Philly Voice 🔗 https://bit.ly/3XRncVG

Visions is free with regular admission. Learn more and get tickets 🎟️ https://bit.ly/4cQzguu

🎨 Isaiah Wharton. Wilde-Flower, 2024.

07/04/2024

Wishing you a safe & happy holiday weekend 🎆

The Barnes is closed today, reopening tomorrow at 11am. Plan your next visit 🔗https://bit.ly/3VAlHZ8

🎨 Pierre-Auguste Renoir. Picnic (Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe), c. 1893, Oil on canvas. The Barnes Foundation, BF567.

07/03/2024

What's your idea of a perfect summer day? ☀️🏖️

Here American artist William Glackens depicts six bathers wading and swimming in the waves of Bellport Bay in Long Island, New York, where he rented a summer cottage. A seventh figure, visible on the sailboat behind them, bends over, perhaps to tie a rope. The vertical mast of the boat bisects the horizontal line of the pier, creating a stabilizing structure for the artist's fluid depiction of the bay. Glackens's short, quick brushstrokes suggest light sparkling on the water and a breeze blowing across the waves 🌊

Explore all our works by Glackens in the Barnes collection online 🔗 https://bit.ly/3VCXTnO

🎨 William Glackens. Seascape with Six Bathers, Bellport, c. 1915, Oil on canvas. The Barnes Foundation, BF550.

07/02/2024

June 📸 Summer is heating up at the Barnes! ☀️

Keep tagging us in your pics, we love the way you 🖼️😍

Cheers to a great July 🥂😎

Plan your summer visit 🔗 https://bit.ly/4blplMt

📸

07/01/2024

📢 Announcing our 2024 Early Learner Summer Pods 📢

These *FREE* early childhood programs, activities, and events are presented in partnership with the The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, the Barnes Foundation (👋), The Clay Studio, Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center, Fleisher Art Memorial, Smith Memorial Playground & Playhouse, and WHYY.

Through this cohort-led informal learning initiative, the arts and learning come alive across Philadelphia in community spaces! This year, programming includes:

📚 Summer Literacy and Engagement Project: WHYY's original children's program Albie's Elevator comes to life through crafts, stories, music, and movement activities.

💦 SPLASH: Summer Family Program at Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center: Saturday morning family expeditions at Fairmount Water Works along the Schuylkill River and water-themed activities at Mander Playground "spray ground."

✍️ The Everyday Literacy Summer Pods: Smith Memorial Playground and Playhouse presents an interactive series of play-based activities with a focus on pre-literacy and pre-writing skills for families in North Philadelphia at the Playground.

🧱 The Clay Studio’s Summer Clay Workshops: Books and ceramics lessons focused on social and emotional learning, creativity, and play in North Philadelphia. Partnerships with The CORE at Esperanza Health Center and Tree House Books.

🔭 Discover, Play, Share: Summer Family Fun at the Academy of Natural Sciences at Drexel University: Learning comes alive through STEAM, literacy, and play activities all summer. Partnerships with the Dornsife Cetner, Sister Cities Park, and Congreso de Latinos Unidos.

🎨 Art-Making Storytime with Fleisher Art Memorial: A series of art-making and literacy workshops that celebrate independence, imagination, and curiosity for early learners and their families. Partnerships with Mifflin Square Park and Southwark School.

🖼️ Barnes Pods: Serving early learners and their families through play- and sensory-based art experiences. Partnerships with the Cambodian Association of Greater Philadelphia at Taggart School.

Visit our respective websites and follow along on our socials for more details and information about upcoming Early Learner Summer Pods programming! Let's all have a great summer full of fun and learning 👏 😎

06/30/2024

For as long as there has been painting, there has been portraiture. From ancient times to today, portraits—no matter the subject—have revealed fundamental truths about humanity and identity.

In our July Spotlight Tour: Portraits in the Barnes, taking place Thursdays – Mondays at 1pm, we’ll explore the remarkable number and diversity of portraits in the Barnes collection, from the realism of Franz Hals to iconic and expressive works by Van Gogh, Matisse, Cézanne, and Soutine.

Includes access to the collection before and after the tour 🖼️

Get tickets on our website 🔗🎟️ https://bit.ly/3Vo62w0

🎨 Chaim Soutine. Woman Seated in Armchair (Femme accoudée au fauteuil), c. 1919, Oil on canvas. The Barnes Foundation, BF271.

06/29/2024

In honor of month, throughout June we've been spotlighting some of our favorite works by American artist Charles Demuth (1883 - 1935), a gay man who lived life as openly as possible within the social confines and biases of the of the early 20th century 🌈

We’re closing out the month with one of our most well-loved Demuth works, In Vaudeville: Acrobatic Male Dancer with Top Hat. Vaudeville was a type of lighthearted entertainment featuring burlesque comedy, song, and dance. Here, a graceful male dancer leaps to a rousing surge of music. While Demuth's subject was associated with early 20th-century America, the dancer's extended pose and the yellow-and-red bursts of color from the stage lights quote the English Romantic artist William Blake's (d. 1827) illustration Albion Rose, giving this performance an almost mystical verve 🔮 💫

The Barnes collection is home to 44 works by Demuth. See them all here 🔗
https://bit.ly/4b6RCav

🎨 Charles Demuth. In Vaudeville: Acrobatic Male Dancer with Top Hat, 1920. BF1199.

06/28/2024

📢 Announcing our 2024 Everyday Places Artist Partnerships cohort 📢

Barnes West launched Everyday Places Artist Partnerships in 2021 to provide West Philadelphia residents with spaces to co-create with multidisciplinary artistic projects that offer inspiration and promote hope and healing. This year’s cohort of artists will partner with “everyday” locations in the neighborhood to build interactive, participatory projects that engage with the business or site and residents 🎨🏘️

Here’s who’s coming to your neighborhood this summer! 😎

Irene Osorio at Dyke+ ArtHaus 👚
Osorio (she/her) will lead a series of sustainability-focused mending workshops at Dyke+ ArtHaus, a community-driven, feminist home for q***r and le***an artists of West Philadelphia. Osorio’s workshops will allow neighbors and residents to drop in to repair, mend, or upcycle clothing, fabrics, and other items.

Qiaira Riley & Yannick Lowery at The Arts League 🍽️
Multidisciplinary artists Riley (she/her) and Lowery (he/him) will work as an artist collective to lead a series of interdisciplinary workshops and community meals at The Arts League. Titled “Shaking the Table,” the series will explore the collective and personal relationships people have with Black ephemera and popular culture through art making and food.

Lori Waselchuk at Writers Room 📸
Photographer and educator Waselchuk (she/her) will partner with Drexel’s Writers Room to organize and facilitate community photography workshops and a photo walk that highlights neighborhood leaders, amplifies local knowledge, and documents community-building. She will collaborate with community organizers and a hyperlocal mutual-aid project to capture and share current happenings in West Philly.

More details about projects, dates, and times will be available soon on our website 🔗 https://bit.ly/3VJ4luD

📸 2024 Everyday Places artists, from left: Yannick Lowery, Qiaira Riley, Lori Waselchuk, and Irene Osorio

06/27/2024

The Barnes Foundation was chartered in 1922 with concepts of democracy, experimentation, and education at its core.

Education & Empowerment: Scholarship Recipients at the Barnes Foundation, 1927 – 1949 draws on archival materials to highlight the diverse experiences of four individuals who had their education supported by Barnes Foundation scholarships in the first half of the 20th century: trailblazing art historian Paul B. Moses; singer and musician Ablyne Lockhart; civic leader, medical doctor, and military officer Dr. DeHaven Hinkson; and Harlem Renaissance painter Aaron Douglas.

See this unique exhibition in our lower lobby through September 16, or explore online 🔗 https://bit.ly/450WSdg

📸: (cover) Paul B. Moses at his lecture on Matisse for University of Chicago alumni at the Art Institute of Chicago, 1966. From the collection of Michael A. Moses

06/26/2024

In partnership with Wawa Welcome America's Free Museum Days, visitors of all ages can enjoy *FREE* access to the Barnes on Monday, July 1. In addition to collection access, visitors can also experience Matisse & Renoir: New Encounters at the Barnes. Presented in our Roberts Gallery, this is a temporary opportunity to experience a fresh perspective on renowned canvases from two titans of modernism. Featuring approximately 35 iconic works by Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Henri Matisse from the second floor of the Barnes collection galleries, the exhibition reflects the expansion of the Barnes’s educational program and emphasizes the historical and cultural context of the works.

➕ You can be among the first to experience Visions, an exhibition of original artwork created by participants in Mural Arts Philadelphia Guild program and artists at SCI Phoenix, southeast Pennsylvania’s maximum-security prison for men. The Guild is a paid apprenticeship that gives justice-impacted young people the opportunity to develop marketable job skills, reconnect with their community, and explore the transformative power of art. Artists at SCI Phoenix work year-round in a dedicated studio space creating public art for Mural Arts and personal bodies of work, from which the pieces in Visions are drawn.

The artworks in Visions bear witness to the artists’ lived experiences, manifest their creative spirit, and evoke unrealized dreams. The exhibition gives voice to the perspectives of individuals who are otherwise largely silent in our society.

Admission is free, but registration is required and opens tomorrow (Thursday, June 27) at 10am. Bookmark this link to reserve your spot 🔗 https://bit.ly/4bCpegx

06/25/2024

Did you know? 💡 The Barnes collection is home to 59 works by Henri —including the monumental, custom-made commission The Dance, and the jaw-dropping, iconic fauvist painting The Joy of Life—and 181 (‼️) works by Pierre-Auguste , an influential artist of his time whose paintings can sometimes be polarizing for today’s contemporary audiences.

But why was Albert Barnes so obsessed with these artists—Renoir in particular? Who else was collecting Matisse in the 1910s, ’20s, and ’30s? How did Dr. Barnes and Violette de Mazia incorporate Matisse and Renoir into their teachings? 🤔

In a one-day workshop, taking place on-site at the Barnes—directly in front of and surrounded by a selection of paintings in our summer exhibition Matisse & Renoir: New Encounters at the Barnes—we’ll look closely at large-scale works like Mussel-Fishers at Berneval, The Joy of Life, and The Music Lesson, literally in a new light. Exclusive access to original archival documents during this workshop will help illuminate the story.

Learn more and register for this today 🔗 https://bit.ly/3WBjnDG

📸 Albert C. Barnes in front of Matisse’s The Music Lesson, c. 1946. Photograph by Angelo Pinto, courtesy of the Pinto family. Photograph Collection, Barnes Foundation Archives, Philadelphia

06/24/2024

The first Sunday of every month is PECO Free First Sunday Family Day, and visitors of all ages are invited to enjoy free admission to the Barnes along with an array of family-friendly art activities and performances.

On Sunday, July 7, experience a fresh perspective on Matisse and Renoir—two foundational artists of European modernism—as well as engaging, interactive musical performances by Dolce Suono Ensemble.

Free! Capacity is limited, and registration is required. Reserve your spot starting at 10am on July 4 🔗 https://bit.ly/4c9dBgM

Here’s what’s on:
10am – 4pm 🎨
Join us for art activities, including a scavenger hunt in the galleries. Perfect for the whole family—ages 2 and up.

10:30 – 11am; 11:15 – 11:45am 📚
Interactive storytelling for the whole family—ages 2 and up.

1 – 1:45pm & 2:30 – 3:15pm 🎶
Performances: Dolce Suono Ensemble
Hailed as “an adventurous ensemble” by The New York Times, the Dolce Suono Ensemble, led by artistic director Mimi Stillman, is an innovative force in the chamber music field. Today, percussionist Gabriel Globus-Hoenich and pianist Ahmed Alom will perform a vibrant program spanning classical to Latin music.

Free registration opens at 10am on July 4. Bookmark this link to reserve your spot 🔗 https://bit.ly/4c9dBgM

Your free registration includes access to the first-floor collection galleries, Matisse & Renoir: New Encounters at the Barnes, and Visions, an exhibition of original artwork created by participants in Mural Arts Philadelphia's Guild program and artists at SCI Phoenix, southeast Pennsylvania’s maximum-security prison for men. The artworks in Visions bear witness to the artists’ lived experiences, manifest their creative spirit, and evoke unrealized dreams. The exhibition gives voice to the perspectives of individuals who are otherwise largely silent in our society.

06/23/2024

Matisse & Renoir: New Encounters at the Barnes is now open! 🖼️🖼️

See beloved works by two titans of modernism in new conversations for the first time—only at the Barnes.

This temporary installation is on view through September 8.

Learn more and get tickets 🔗 https://bit.ly/3XuRIEL

06/22/2024

In honor of month, we're spotlighting some of our favorite works by American artist Charles Demuth (1883 - 1935), a gay man who lived life as openly as possible within the social confines and biases of the of the early 20th century 🌈

Signed and dated “C. Demuth 1919 / Gloucester, Mass.,” this painting was produced during Demuth’s summer stay at this seaside town. While Gloucester was a popular destination for summer holidays—not least among artists—Masts shows the city’s industrial side, in a cubist-inspired style that came to be called precisionism (a style for which Demuth is renowned). Overlapping shapes, many pyramidal, may read as a ship’s mast, factory chimney, warehouse roof, radiating sails, and more. Incised, ruled pencil lines cut diagonally through the composition board like rays of light, creating faceted crystalline patterns enhanced by shifts in color and shading.

Demuth apparently was interested more in the style than the exact subject of Masts, which he exhibited in 1920 with the vague title Chimnies [sic], Ventilators, or Whatever 🤭 Like Dr. Barnes, Demuth was a prodigious and sophisticated reader, and his modernist literary tastes might account in part for the experimental style of his precisionist pictures and their enigmatic titles. For example, the companion painting to Masts—Piano Mover’s Holiday—takes its name from the first line of a poem that Demuth dedicated to his close friend, the poet William Carlos Williams.

Did you know? 💡 The Barnes collection is home to 44 works by Demuth. See them all here 🔗 https://bit.ly/4b6RCav

🎨 Charles Demuth. Masts, 1919. BF343.
🎨 Charles Demuth. Piano Mover's Holiday, 1919. BF339.

Address

2025 Benjamin Franklin Pkwy
Philadelphia, PA
19130

Opening Hours

Monday	11am - 5pm
Thursday	11am - 5pm
Friday	11am - 5pm
Saturday	11am - 5pm
Sunday	11am - 5pm

Telephone

+12152787000

Website

http://www.barnesfoundation.org/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Barnes Foundation posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Museum

Send a message to Barnes Foundation:

Videos

Matisse & Renoir: New Encounters at the Barnes is now on view!

Matisse & Renoir: New Encounters at the Barnes is now open! 🖼️🖼️ See beloved works by two titans of modernism in new conversations for the first time—only at the Barnes. This temporary installation is on view through September 8. Learn more and get tickets 🔗 https://bit.ly/3XuRIEL

Matisse & Renoir: New Encounters at the Barnes opens Sunday!

OPENS SUNDAY 📢 Matisse & Renoir: New Encounters at the Barnes Two innovators in modern European art, Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841–1919) and Henri Matisse (1869–1954) were also among Dr. Albert Barnes’s favorite painters. He collected their work voraciously over the course of four decades. Presented here is a selection of these works in a display that reflects the expansion of the Barnes’s educational program, emphasizing the objects’ art historical context 🎓🖼️ Renoir was nearly 30 years older than Matisse. As a member of the impressionist group that upended painting conventions in the late 19th century, Renoir paved the way for Matisse to develop his own radical approach to color and form in the next century. Their boundary pushing, in fact, changed the way successive generations of artists thought about color as an expressive compositional tool. The two artists met in 1917, near the end of Renoir’s life, and engaged in a creative dialogue over the next two years that Matisse cherished 💞 Arranged by artist and by time period, this installation shows the stylistic development of these artists across their careers as well as the subjects and motifs that they fruitfully revisited. By placing such iconic works in new contexts and juxtapositions, Matisse & Renoir: New Encounters at the Barnes encourages fresh perspectives 🔎 This once-in-a-lifetime installation can't be missed! Go to our website for more information and to get tickets 🔗🎟️ https://bit.ly/3xdIfa2 Hungry for a deeper dive? Join us on opening day for a conversation with curator Cindy Kang and Martha Lucy, deputy director for research, interpretation and education, moderated by exhibition co-curator Corrinne Chong. Learn more about the individual achievements of Henri Matisse and Pierre-Auguste Renoir and the creative dialogue that flourished between them following their 1917 encounter 🔗https://bit.ly/3xf9fGa 🎨 Henri Matisse. The Venetian Blinds (Les Persiennes),

Opening June 23 in our Roberts Gallery 🔜 Matisse & Renoir: New Encounters at the Barnes is more than an exhibition—it's an experience that reflects the original educational vision of the Barnes Foundation 🎓🖼️ Dr. Albert Barnes and Violette de Mazia moved works of art to create new juxtapositions for students, offering enhanced educational opportunities by presenting Barnes paintings in new contexts 🔎 Showcasing iconic works from the Barnes collection by modern masters Henri #Matisse and Pierre-Auguste #Renoir in new juxtapositions, this exhibition explores the rich historical and cultural context of these renowned canvases, offering unique opportunities to engage with beloved works in fresh and exciting ways 😍 Matisse and Renoir's groundbreaking approaches to painting defined the decorative and coloristic tendencies of modern European art. Their influence transformed French painting into an expressive arrangement of color and form, drawing from diverse artistic traditions and cultural influences. Matisse & Renoir: New Encounters at the Barnes is inspired by the touching artistic mentorship that Matisse sought from Renoir near the end of Renoir’s life. Their friendship, forged over art and personal experiences, resonates throughout 🖼️💕 You’ll gain a renewed sense of appreciation for the artistic genius of Matisse and Renoir and their impact on the trajectory of modern art—one that can still be felt in the works of contemporary artists today. Learn more about this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience beloved works in a new light & reserve your tickets today 🔗 https://bit.ly/45liBgg 🎨 Henri Matisse. Two Young Girls in a Red and Yellow Interior (Deux fillettes, fond jaune et rouge), Between May-June 1947, Oil on canvas. The Barnes Foundation, BF2075. © 2024 Succession H. Matisse / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York 🎨 Pierre-Auguste Renoir. Writing Lesson (La Leçon d'écriture), c. 1905, Oil on canvas. The

See Art Differently at the Barnes

The Barnes Foundation was founded in 1922 by Philadelphia art collector Dr. Albert C. Barnes, with the belief that learning with and through art is a powerful agent for personal growth and social progress. In the Barnes collection, artists such as Renoir and Picasso share space with remarkable African masks and Native American jewelry in ensembles that invite the viewer to draw their own connections across artistic traditions and time for a singularly immersive experience. Since relocating to Center City in 2012, the Barnes has continued this visionary legacy. From thought-provoking exhibitions that champion artists across diasporas, identities, periods, and disciplines, to robust social and educational programs that bring together communities and learners of all ages, the Barnes sparks exploration of our world through art. Plan your visit today and start to #SeeArtDifferently 🖼️ https://bit.ly/4bNHPpO

Mark your calendar! Barnes on the Block is July 14 🌞

Summer is officially here, and we are counting the days to Barnes on the Block! 🌞 On July 14 from 12-5pm, meet us on the Parkway in Philly for visual art displays, family-friendly art making, live performances, food trucks, a beer garden, and more, in celebration of the 40th anniversary of Mural Arts Philadelphia, the nation’s largest public art program 📢🎨 This event is free and open to the public—all are welcome 🤗 ➕ Plus, see the first-floor collection galleries, Matisse & Renoir: New Encounters at the Barnes, and the restorative-justice exhibition Visions for free! Registration for timed admission to the galleries will open at 10am on Thursday, July 11, on the Barnes’s website 🔗 https://bit.ly/3XexfE3 What’s On: 🍺 Beer, wine, and other refreshments at the Barnes on the Block Beer Garden @byconstellation 🍟 Local eats from The Munchy Machine 🎶 DJ sets by Ben Arsenal and It’s DJ Giz 🕺 Performances by @teameartz, @westpoweltondrillteam, @batalaphilly, and more. Join creative space-makers and artists for activations along the Parkway: 🎨 Enjoy live painting led by Mural Arts Philadelphia 🏺 Experience a pop-up ceramics studio with The Clay Studio's Claymobile. 🎧 Celebrate hip-hop through dance with @tameartz 🪶 Get a personalized poem by Marshall James Kavanaugh 🆔 Make your identity symbol with Cesar Viveros and @lemusmonart 🖼️ Create a collage with @collagephiladelphia 🖍️ Craft with Fleisher Art Memoriallantern with Ken Johnston. Barnes on the Block with Mural Arts Philadelphia is supported by PNC Arts Alive 🙏

Coming Soon: Matisse & Renoir: New Encounters at the Barnes

📆 Opening June 23, a special exhibition showcasing ✨iconic✨ works from the Barnes collection by two foundational artists of European modernism, Henri Matisse and Pierre-Auguste Renoir 🧑‍🎨🧑‍🎨 Matisse & Renoir: New Encounters at the Barnes explores the rich historical and cultural context of these renowned canvases, offering unique opportunities to engage with beloved paintings in fresh and exciting ways. Discover fascinating connections between Matisse and Renoir in works from the same period and gain a deeper understanding of their approaches to art, including Matisse’s The Joy of Life and Red Madras Headdress, and Renoir’s Leaving the Conservatory and Mussel-Fishers at Berneval 🖼️ This is an unprecedented opportunity to experience the beauty and innovation of select Matisse and Renoir paintings from the Barnes collection in new conversations for the first time ✨ Learn more and get tickets 🎟️ https://bit.ly/4dW8Nx1

“Alexey Brodovitch may not be a household name, but he is in some ways the reason that Jackson Pollock is today one of the most famous artists of the past century.” —Air Mail Just two weeks remain to see Alexey Brodovitch: Astonish Me before it closes on May 19 🔜 Get your tickets today 🔗https://bit.ly/3JAAnSA

#Barnes YP: Astonish Me is May 10! Get tickets today

Young Professionals Night is May 10! 🥳 The first #BarnesYP of 2024 celebrates the final days of our current special exhibition, Alexey Brodovitch: Astonish Me, and you’re invited to join us for an incredible night of fashion, music, dancing, cocktails, and more 🍸💃🕺🎶 This evening is all about celebrating the many ways that Philly’s young professional and creative networks power our city’s vibrant cultural and civic life. Now it’s time to raise a glass in recognition of our collective success 🥂 Rock your favorite runway-ready looks, put on your bold prints, bright colors, and vintage finds, and connect with fellow Philly creatives and young professionals at the Barnes. The night’s beats are courtesy of DJ Wassup Gina and DJ Jamz. We’ll set the scene with art, style, light bites, and sips—all we need is you 💞 In the spirit of giving back and helping others to dress for success, we’re inviting YP guests to bring a new or gently used item of clothing or accessory to donate to The Wardrobe, whose goal is to eliminate clothing insecurity by outfitting people for life or work 🆒 #BarnesYP Highlights: ✔️Complimentary champagne toast at 7pm ✔️Music and spinning by DJ Wassup Gina and DJ JAMZ ✔️Aura photography by Inner Light Aura ✔️Custom fashion illustrations by Denise Fike ✔️Personalized magazine covers by Keyonna Butler, founder of I Am Creator Creation Project and Black Hippie Art. ✔️Cash bar featuring beer, wine, cocktails, and light fare ✔️ A treat to finish the night Get tickets today 🔗🎟️ https://bit.ly/4auiS2c Young Professionals Night is hosted by the Contemporaries. A vital part of the Barnes’s future, the Contemporaries are an active and committed group of young patrons and art enthusiasts who enjoy distinct programs and social events. The Contemporaries’ generous annual membership contributions provide critical, unrestricted support for our mission and programs. Learn more about

Students can see Alexey Brodovitch: Astonish Me for $5 on First Friday

First Friday is April 5 at the Barnes, and we’re excited to partner with University of the Arts to offer college students $5 admission to enjoy an evening of art, music, and community in celebration of our special exhibition, Alexey Brodovitch: Astonish Me 😲 Alexey Brodovitch was a graphic designer, instructor, illustrator, and photographer who spent formative periods of his career in Paris, Philadelphia, and New York. His artistic pursuits were surprising and diverse, in an era when creatives were free to experiment across media. Did you know? 💡 The pioneering art director taught design at UArts in the 1930s, then known as the Pennsylvania Museum and School of Industrial Art. First Friday admission includes access to both this special exhibition *and* the collection galleries. We’ll also enjoy the sounds of Freedom Over Certainty, a new student jazz ensemble from UArts. Led by Professor Joshua Stamper, the octet is devoted to widening the possibilities of harmony, form, rhythm, and texture. The group's original music is a vehicle for artistic discovery—vocals, winds, brass, vibraphone, guitar, bass, and percussion combine to form a vibrant palette of musical colors. They’ll be sure to *astonish you* with their talent 🎶 *In honor of Alexey Brodovitch's connection to UArts, enjoy a special student price of $5 with code UARTS24.* Get tickets here 🎫🔗 https://bit.ly/3VzmlI7 . . . . . Image credits for video: https://bit.ly/49wVl06

#BarnesWest 2024 Everyday Places Artist Partnerships

Calling West Philly Artists 📢 The deadline to apply for our 2024 Everyday Places Artist Partnerships has been extended to March 29! Barnes West launched Everyday Places Artist Partnerships in 2021 to provide West Philadelphia residents with spaces to co-create with multidisciplinary artistic projects that offer inspiration and promote hope and healing. This year’s cohort of #barneswest artists will partner with “everyday” locations in the neighborhood—including public parks, civic centers, and community organizations—to build interactive, participatory projects that engage with the business or site and residents 🎨 Everyday places like restaurants, parks, and service organizations are key locations in neighborhoods that foster community. 📅 REPEAT: The deadline for artist proposals is now March 29 🔜 Learn more and apply: https://bit.ly/48sLTcJ Know a West Philly artist that would be perfect for this project? Tag them in the comments! ⬇

April Classes are enrolling now

Study art history at the Barnes, a leader in art education since 1925. Come learn in our galleries, or take classes online using our immersive, state-of-the-art platform that brings you closer to the work than ever before. Now enrolling April classes: ✅ Paintings from an Artist’s Perspective | Wednesdays, April 3 – April 24, 1 – 3pm ET | On-site ✅ Dutch Art in the Time of Rembrandt and Vermeer: A Look at the “Non-Golden Age” |Fridays, April 5 – April 26, 12 – 2pm ET | Online ✅ The Classical Tradition in Modern Art |Mondays, April 8 – April 29, 6 – 8pm ET | Online ✅ Artists As Cultivators | Tuesdays, April 9 – April 30, 6 – 8pm ET | Online ✅ Close-Looking Immersion: Picasso’s Acrobat and Young Harlequin | Wednesday, April 10, 12 – 1:30pm ET | Online ✅ Fashion Photography: The Magazine as Canvas | Wednesdays, April 24 – May 15, 6:30 – 8pm ET | Online Learn more and enroll in a #BarnesClass today 🔗 https://bit.ly/3P8C7py

Get a discount at the Barnes when you show your Flower Show ticket

In celebration of the 195th year of The Philadelphia Flower Show, we're inviting Flower Show attendees to visit the Barnes for just $20 (that’s $5 off!) from Thursday-Sunday, March 7-10. And PHS members will receive $15 admission—a $10 discount—during the Flower Show 💐 Here's how it works: just show your Flower Show ticket at our box office on 20th Street (between the Parkway and Callowhill Street) and receive $5 off the price of regular admission (limit 2 per transaction). PHS members, show your membership credentials to receive $10 off regular admission 🌷 It's that easy! 🎉 While you’re at the Barnes, take a tour of the nature-themed paintings in our galleries, visit the Barnes Shop for a selection of floral jewelry, books, and prints, and try botanical treats at Reflections Café and the Garden Restaurant. Show your Flower Show ticket or PHS member credentials for a *FREE* latte at Reflections Café in Annenberg Court or a special treat while dining at the Garden Restaurant 🍰🌸☕ For more information, click here: https://bit.ly/49k66SM

"All designers, all photographers, all art directors, whether they know it or not, are students of Alexey Brodovitch." — Irving Penn #AlexeyBrodovitch: #AstonishMe is now on view 📸 Get tickets 🔗 https://bit.ly/3wxEeNc

Did you know your #PhillyFlowerShow ticket gets you more than just entry to the biggest floral event of the year? In partnership with The Philadelphia Flower Show, Flower Show ticket holders can receive: 🌼 $5 off admission to the Barnes when you show your ticket at the box office 🌼 $10 off for PHS members 🌼 Both discounts can also be applied to daily public tours 🌼 Free floral latte from the Reflections Café at the Barnes 🌼 A free item (dessert, drink, or app) from the Barnes’s Garden Restaurant on both weekends of the Show The Barnes is just a short walk from the convention center! Go west on Arch, take a right on Benjamin Franklin Parkway, then take another right on 20th. Our friendly box office agents will be happy to assist you. For more information 🔗 https://bit.ly/3TbEcmW

Alexey Brodovitch: Astonish Me opens on Sunday, March 3! 😲 🔜 Beginning his journey in the United States in 1930, photographer, designer, and instructor #AlexeyBrodovitch made Philadelphia his home, where he taught at the Pennsylvania Museum and School of Industrial Art (now University of the Arts), establishing the Department of Advertising Design. His mentorship extended beyond the classroom through the innovative Design Laboratory, attracting aspiring students and professionals interested in careers as stylists and art directors. His unique style of teaching transformed photography and graphic design, influencing celebrated photographers such as #IrvingPenn, #RichardAvedon, #EveArnold, and #HansNamuth. #Brodovitch’s work with luminaries like #AndréKertész and #HenriCartierBresson further underscore his legacy. As art director for @HarpersBazaarUS from 1934 to 1958, Brodovitch played a pivotal role in shaping the magazine's visual identity. Considered one of the fathers of modern art direction, his unconventional and experimental designs, once avant-garde, are now integral to contemporary design practices. This exhibition delves into Brodovitch's collaborations with major figures of 20th-century photography, offering visitors an opportunity to view over 100 works from public and private collections worldwide. Featuring an array of mediums, including photographs, prints, works on paper, books, and magazines, #AstonishMe presents a comprehensive view of Brodovitch's influence and sparks fresh perspectives on art direction and graphic design. Learn more and get your tickets in advance for Alexey Brodovitch: Astonish Me 🔗 https://bit.ly/3U2EP35 . . . . . Image credits: https://bit.ly/49wVl06

📢 Calling West Philly Artists and Places 📢 Applications for our 2024 Everyday Places Artist Partnerships are now open! Barnes West launched Everyday Places Artist Partnerships in 2021 to provide West Philadelphia residents with spaces to co-create with multidisciplinary artistic projects that offer inspiration and promote hope and healing. This year’s cohort of #BarnesWest artists will partner with “everyday” locations in the neighborhood—including public parks, civic centers, and community organizations—to build interactive, participatory projects that engage with the business or site and residents 🎨 Everyday places like restaurants, parks, and service organizations are key locations in neighborhoods that foster community. 📅 Place proposals are due March 8. 📅 Artist proposals are due March 22. Learn more and apply: https://bit.ly/48sLTcJ Know a West Philly artist or place that would be perfect for this project? Tag them in the comments! ⬇

Our newest special exhibition, Alexey Brodovitch: Astonish Me 📸 opens on March 3rd! 🔜 You’ve *probably* never heard of #AlexeyBrodovitch, but you very likely *have* experienced his influence 💡 Renowned for his art direction of US fashion magazine Harper's Bazaar from 1934 to 1958, Alexey Brodovitch played a pivotal role in shaping the magazine's visual identity. As one of the fathers of modern art direction, his unconventional and experimental designs, once avant-garde, are now integral to contemporary design practices. While Brodovitch may not be a household name, the instantly recognizable images crafted by those he mentored serve as a testament to his enduring influence This is the first major US art exhibition dedicated to exploring the influence and significance of the iconic photographer, designer, and instructor #AlexeyBrodovitch (1898–1971). Through new scholarship on his life and work, Astonish Me brings into focus Brodovitch's significant contributions to photography as an artistic medium in the mid-20th century. Learn more and get your tickets in advance for Alexey Brodovitch: Astonish Me 📸 🎟️ https://bit.ly/3U2EP35

March Classes at the Barnes

Study art history at the Barnes, a leader in art education since 1925. Come learn in our galleries, or take classes online using our immersive, state-of-the-art platform that brings you closer to the work than ever before. Now enrolling March classes: ✔ The Bauhaus: Unity of the Arts | Mondays, March 4 – March 25, 12 – 2pm ✔ Flower Power: Symbolism and Science in the Barnes Collection | Tuesdays, March 5 – March 26, 1 – 3pm ✔ Art and Splendor in Ancient Rome | Tuesdays, March 5 – March 26, 6 – 8pm ✔ Art of the Great Migration | Wednesdays, March 6 – March 27, 1 – 3pm ✔ The French Revolution and the Arts | Wednesdays, March 6 – March 27, 5 – 7pm ✔ Close-Looking Immersion: Cézanne’s Ginger Jar | Wednesday, March 13, 12 – 1:30pm For more information, and to enroll in a Barnes Class 🔗 https://bit.ly/49cFMKP

Get a discount at the Barnes with your PHS Flower Show ticket! 🎟

In celebration of the 195th year of The Philadelphia Flower Show, we're inviting Flower Show attendees to visit the Barnes for just $20 (that’s $5 off!) from March 2 to 10. And PHS members will receive $15 admission—a $10 discount—during the Flower Show 💐 Here's how it works: just show your Flower Show ticket at our box office on 20th Street (between the Parkway and Callowhill Street) and receive $5 off the price of regular admission (limit 2 per transaction). PHS members, show your membership credentials to receive $10 off regular admission 🌷 It's that easy! 🎉 While you’re at the Barnes, take a tour of the nature-themed paintings in our galleries, visit the Barnes Shop for a selection of floral jewelry, books, and prints, and try botanical treats at Reflections Café and the Garden Restaurant. Show your Flower Show ticket or PHS member credentials for a *FREE* latte at Reflections Café in Annenberg Court or a special treat while dining at the Garden Restaurant 🍰🌸☕ For more information, click here: https://bit.ly/49k66SM

Shortcuts

Our Story

We believe art is for everyone. Our founder, Dr. Albert C. Barnes, believed that art had the power to improve minds and transform lives. Our diverse educational programs are based on his teachings and one-of-a-kind collections—both his art holdings and the rare trees, flowers, and other plants at the Barnes Arboretum. Learn more about our history.

An art experience like no other.

The Barnes is home to one of the world’s greatest collections of impressionist, post-impressionist, and modern European paintings, with especially deep holdings in Renoir, Cézanne, Matisse, and Picasso. Assembled by Dr. Albert C. Barnes between 1912 and 1951, the collection also includes important examples of African art, Native American pottery and jewelry, Pennsylvania German furniture, American avant-garde painting, and wrought-iron metalwork.

The minute you step into the galleries of the Barnes collection, you know you’re in for an experience like no other. Masterpieces by Vincent Van Gogh, Henri Matisse, and Pablo Picasso hang next to ordinary household objects—a door hinge, a spatula, a yarn spinner. On another wall, you might see a French medieval sculpture displayed with a Navajo textile. These dense groupings, in which objects from different cultures, time periods, and media are all mixed together, are what Dr. Barnes called his “ensembles.”