The Barnes Foundation Statement on
Montgomery County Orphans Court Decision
May 15, 2008, Lower Merion, PA - The Barnes Foundation is pleased with the ruling of Montgomery County Orphans
Court Judge Stanley R. Ott to dismiss the petitions of the Friends of the Barnes Foundation and Montgomery County
Commissioners to re-open his December 2004 decision permitting the Foundation to move its art collection to Philadelphia.
Derek Gillman, Executive Director and President of the Barnes Foundation said, "This very clear ruling ends the present
distraction and we are forging ahead with plans for the new building."
In January, the Barnes Foundation and City of Philadelphia executed a 99-year lease agreement for property along the
Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Possession of the property will formally transfer in August 2008. The Foundation is well
into design preparations for its new facility, selecting Tod Williams & Billie Tsien Architects to lead the project
alongside Ballinger, a Philadelphia firm, as Associate Architect. Oversight of the process is led by William W.
McDowell III who joined the Foundation in January as Senior Building Project Executive. Aegis Property Group has
also been brought on as external Project Managers and will serve as an extension of the Barnes Foundation's staff in
the planning and construction phases.
The Barnes Foundation art education center will house its world-renowned art collection in a gallery that will
replicate the scale, proportion and configuration of the existing gallery in Merion, PA. The new facility will
also provide increased space for art education programs, conservation and research. Placement of the art education
center in proximity to other leading cultural institutions in Philadelphia will enable the Barnes Foundation to
ensure its long-term viability, while providing greater access to the Collection and the Foundation's educational programs.
About the Barnes Foundation
The Barnes Foundation was established by Albert C. Barnes in 1922 to "promote the advancement of education and the
appreciation of the fine arts." Currently located in a 12-acre arboretum, the Paul Cret-designed Gallery houses
one of the world's largest collections of Impressionist, Post-Impressionist and early Modern paintings, with
extensive holdings by Renoir, Cézanne, Matisse, Picasso, Rousseau, Modigliani, Soutine and de Chirico, as well
as Old Master paintings, important examples of African sculpture and Native American ceramics, American
furniture and metalwork, and antiquities from the Mediterranean region and Asia.
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For more information, contact:
The Barnes Foundation
Andrew Stewart, 610 667 0290 x1567 or astewart@barnesfoundation.org
Ceisler Jubelirer
Larry Ceisler, 215 735 6760 or larry@cj-llc.com
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300 North Latch's Lane
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