By Peter Van Allen, Philadelphia Business Journal
May 15, 2006
Plans to move the Barnes Foundation's world-class art collection from suburban Philadelphia to the city's Benjamin Franklin
Parkway took a leap forward Monday.
The Philadelphia-area foundations heading the fund raising said they have successfully raised the $150 million needed
for the move.
"Philadelphians have proven to the world that we are a city that values the arts and shares Dr. Barnes's vision that
these spectacular works of art should be seen by everyone," said Rebecca W. Rimel, president and CEO of The Pew
Charitable Trusts, which led the fund-raising effort along with the Annenberg Foundation and Lenfest Foundation.
On the public side, Pennsylvania contributed $25 million, while the city of Philadelphia donated the museum site at 21st
Street and the Ben Franklin Parkway.
Donors of $10 million or more were from:
- The Annenberg Foundation ($30 million);
- The Pew Charitable Trusts ($20 million);
- The Lenfest Foundation ($15 million);
- The Neubauer Family Foundation ($10 million);
- The William Penn Foundation ($10 million).
The $150 million fund-raising campaign generated $100 million for the construction of the new gallery and $50 million to
create an endowment.
The Barnes, which is now in Merion, Pa., will be relocated to a stretch sometimes known as Museum Mile, which includes
the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Rodin Museum, the Free Library of Philadelphia, the Franklin Institute and the
Academy of Natural Sciences.
Monday's announcement is part of a long process that started in September 2002, when the Barnes first disclosed that it
was considering ways to improve public access to the collection while shoring up its weakening financial condition. After
a lengthy court battle, the Barnes was granted permission for the move in December 2004.
The Barnes Foundation was established in 1922 by Dr. Albert C. Barnes to "promote the advancement of education and the
appreciation of the fine arts."
Its collection includes works by Renoir, Cézanne, Matisse, Picasso, Seurat, Rousseau, Modigliani, Soutine, Monet, Manet,
Degas, Van Gogh and others.
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