Take a Class
Study art history and art appreciation at the Barnes, a leader in art education for nearly 100 years. We offer a full array of online classes, with new courses curated monthly. Need-based scholarships available. Online classes make great gifts.
These courses connect works of art to history: What was happening politically, socially, and culturally at the time a piece was made? How did these circumstances shape the artist’s formal choices?
Online Class: Abstract Expressionism: de Kooning to Mitchell
Survey important artists and works from this American art movement ahead of our spring exhibition Soutine / de Kooning.
Online Class: The Art and Architecture of Ancient Egypt
Explore major monuments of architecture, sculpture, and painting from the predynastic period through the New Kingdom.
Online Class: On the Run: European Artists/Intellectuals Flee WWII
Examine key artists and intellectuals who fled Europe as well as the work of those who stayed behind.
Online Class: The Surrealist Revolution
Trace the surrealist movement from formal inception in 1924 through its international expansion in the 1930s.
Online Class: A Jewish Perspective: Pissarro, Modigliani, Soutine & Pascin
These four painters were central to the avant-garde scene in early 20th-century Paris. How did their faith influence their outlook and their artwork?
Online Class: Introduction to Contemporary Art: Critical Explorations
What makes art “contemporary”? How do we decide what’s “good” in the art of our time? The answers to these questions are complex—much like contemporary art itself.
Online Class: The Baroque Curve: 17th-Century European Architecture
Explore some of the major architectural monuments of 17th-century Rome, Paris, Versailles, London, and Vienna.
Online Class: Willem de Kooning in Context
See how de Kooning shaped the iconic abstract expressionists of the New York School and continued to inspire subsequent generations.
Online Class: Giorgio de Chirico and the Myth of Modernity
Learn how the influential modernist grappled with the connections between art and philosophy throughout his career.
Online Class: The Arts of Medieval Islam
Get introduced to the rich artistic traditions and architectural achievements of Islamic culture throughout the medieval period.
Online Class: African Art in the Barnes Foundation: Context and Meanings
Learn the traditional meanings and uses of the African sculpture collected by Dr. Albert C. Barnes while considering the impact of colonialism and imperialism
Online Class: Dutch Art in the Age of Rembrandt
During the golden age of the Dutch Republic artists like Rembrandt, Hals, and Vermeer defined the rich visual culture of the 17th century.
Online Class: Manet and Modern Paris
This class will place Édouard Manet’s influential paintings within the context of modern Paris, the French Empire, and the city’s increasingly global reputation.
Online Class: Impressionism and Japonisme
See the extraordinary impact Japanese art and design had on French visual culture—impressionist painting in particular.
Online Class: When the Camera Was New: 19th-Century Photography
Focus on the technological innovations of some of the first photographers and delve into early debates around the purpose and potential of the new medium.
Online Class: Ride or Die: The Black Cowboy and Urban Rider in Contemporary Art
Rediscover the timeless archetypes of the Cowboy and the Equestrian through the lens of the African diaspora and contemporary art.