Understanding World Art
Program Director, Christopher Pastore, PhD
Enroll for the full year, by semester, or by lecturer (two weeks).
Tuesdays, 6–9 pm

Understanding World Art (UWA) is a new initiative launching in 2012–2013. It is an opportunity to ask questions such as, “what is suggested by displaying a 17th-century painting by El Greco among works by Renoir and Cézanne?” and, “why is a 16th-century bronze sculpture from the Edo peoples of Nigeria placed next to a 20th-century tapestry by Joan Miró?” The theme for this inaugural year is Art and Cross-Cultural Communication. With conversations led by scholars in a number of fields, UWA offers a guided tour of the diversity in the Barnes Foundation’s art collection and the ongoing dialogues within Albert Barnes’s unique ensemble arrangements.

Full year: $1,500; members $1,350  
Per semester: $900; members $810 
Per lecturer: $175; members $150 
Register online or by calling 215.278.7300. 

Ensembles
John Gatti, MFA
Tuesdays, January 29–May 14 (14 weeks)
11 am–1 pm

One of the striking aspects of the Barnes Foundation is the unique ensemble arrangement of the collection objects. Each wall is stacked with a diverse array of works—Eastern and Western; sacred and secular; fine art and craft; old masters and the avant-garde. Albert Barnes created the ensembles, but did not reveal all of what they expressed and why he chose the relationships he did. Led by instructor John Gatti, students will explore the collection and discuss the aesthetic, symbolic, and poetic languages of the ensembles.

$900; members $810
We are no longer taking registrations for this course.

Modigliani, Pascin, and Soutine
Leslie Bowen, MFA
Tuesdays, January 29–May 14 (14 weeks)
2–4 pm

The Barnes Foundation holds an array of works by the artists Amedeo Modigliani, Jules Pascin, and Chaim Soutine. The collection is singular in its quality and its depth. Jewish expatriates living in Paris in the 1920s, Modigliani, Pascin, and Soutine shared a fascination with the studio and cafe life of Montmartre and Montparnasse. Their decadent lifestyles earned them reputations as "peintres maudits" (cursed painters). This course will investigate the formal elements in the work of these three artists, and will explore their emotional responses to the culture in which they lived and worked.  

$900; members $810
We are no longer taking registrations for this course. 

ArtNow!

John Gatti, MFA
Wednesdays, January 30–May 15 (14 weeks)
12–2 pm

Albert Barnes collected challenging art of his time. This seminar examines the responses of art and artists today to cultural, social, political, and ideological issues. During this course, participants explore the art scene, meet with Philadelphia artists, art dealers, scholars, and other visual arts professionals, and visit regional exhibitions, cultural institutions, and artists' studios. Course highlights include visits to the Philadelphia Museum of Art and Institute of Contemporary Art, a Center City art tour, Old City gallery talks, and First Fridays.

$900; members $810
We are no longer taking registrations for this course.