Take a Class
We're now offering a greater number of art classes, at a lower cost. We also have need-based scholarships to help make art accessible for everyone.
Free / Social
Mural Arts Studio at the Barnes: Eric Goldberg
Wednesday, January 17 – Monday, December 31
Eric Goldberg, selected for a residency as part of our Let's Connect exhibition, is offering printmaking demonstrations every Sunday.
Horticulture
Horticulture Certificate Program
Wednesday, September 5 – Monday, May 13
Our three-year certificate program covers horticultural science, methods, and design.
event
Morisot: Passport to Paris
Friday, October 19
Enjoy an evening of breathtaking art, sumptuous bites, artisanal cocktails and live music at the preview party celebrating Berthe Morisot: Woman Impressionist.
Talks & Tours
Daily Highlights Tour
Wednesday, January 2 – Tuesday, December 31
This one-hour tour is perfect for first-time visitors. Explore highlights of the collection and learn the history of the Barnes.
Talks & Tours
Daily Premier Tour
Wednesday, January 2 – Tuesday, December 31
This 90-minute docent-led tour takes place while the Barnes is closed to the public.
Talks & Tours
Personalized Docent Tour
Wednesday, January 2 – Tuesday, December 31
A private one-hour tour for you and up to five guests during regular hours.
Art in Context / Understanding Materials and Techniques / The Barnes Method
The Barnes-de Mazia Certificate Program
Tuesday, January 22 – Tuesday, July 16
This special track offers an immersion in the Barnes method and an introduction to other interpretive approaches.
Talks & Tours
Afternoons with
the Art Team
Thursday, January 31 – Monday, February 25
Join us for casual pop-up talks in the galleries led by our Art Team. Each talk focuses on a specific work of art—it’s a great way to explore the collection and learn something new!
Talks & Tours / Members
Spotlight Tour: Matisse
Friday, February 1 – Thursday, February 28
This February, take a closer look at Henri Matisse's work, his relationship with Dr. Barnes, and why the he is considered one of the cornerstones of modernist art.
Nightlife / Music / Social / Performance
Artist Bash: Take Me Home
Saturday, February 16, 8 – 11pm
Our sixth Artist Bash features performers expressing their idea of home—is it a place, a memory, or a person?
Talks & Tours
In Focus Gallery Talk: Matisse’s Chinese Casket
Monday, February 18, 2 – 2:30pm
Hear the story behind the painting from Z. Serena Qiu, a doctoral candidate in the history of art at the University of Pennsylvania. Free with admission; Room 10
Art in Context / Class
Histories of Photography
Tuesdays, February 19 – March 12, 4 – 6pm
Delve into the history and theory of photography through lectures and visits to our special exhibition.
Family / Social
Barnes Toddler Time
Thursday, February 21
Join us for a combination of storytime, art making, and movement activities just for kids ages 2–4 and their parents or caregivers.
Members
Member Previews for From Today, Painting Is Dead
Thursday, February 21 – Saturday, February 23
As a member, see the world premiere of our photography exhibition before the public opening.
Talks & Tours
Special Exhibition Tour: From Today, Painting Is Dead
Wednesday, February 27 – Sunday, May 12
Learn about the innovative photographic processes being developed in the mid-19th century and the creative artists making their mark with the new medium.
Members
Members-Only Tours of From Today, Painting Is Dead
Wednesdays, February 27 – March 13, 2 – 3pm
A free members-only tour of our early photography exhibition.
Talks & Tours / Members
Spotlight Tour: Barnes in Bloom
Friday, March 1 – Sunday, March 31
This March, get inspired by nature and feel the power of flowers as we look at the most beautiful floral still lifes and lush landscapes in the collection.
Nightlife / Music / Social / Performance
First Friday! Black Pearl
Friday, March 1, 6 – 9pm
Now celebrating its tenth year, the Black Pearl Chamber Orchestra performs compositions by Mozart and Haydn.
Free / Family / Music / Social / Performance
PECO Free First Sunday Family Day: More Than Meets the Eye
Sunday, March 3, 10am – 5pm
Celebrate student projects that deconstruct and reconstruct Barnes masterworks. Plus, use your detective skills to solve a math mystery in the galleries!
Talks & Tours
In Focus Gallery Talk: Navajo Necklace and Earrings
Monday, March 4, 2 – 2:30pm
Hear the story behind these objects from Ramey Mize, a doctoral candidate in the history of art at the University of Pennsylvania. Free with admission; Lower Level Lobby
The Barnes Method
Learning to See
Tuesdays, March 5 – April 9, 1 – 3pm
In a contemporary art world filled with conceptual art and installations, why do paintings continue to hold our interest?
Art in Context
Black American Culture and Albert Barnes: Spirituals, Integration, and Social Justice
Wednesdays, March 6 – March 27, 6 – 8pm
Explore the complex history of the civil rights movement and Dr. Barnes’s role in championing black culture and integration.
Art in Context
She Persisted:
Pioneering Women Artists Since 1900
Saturday, March 9, 10am – 4pm
This one-day workshop highlights the work of trailblazing women artists, from Georgia O’Keeffe to Marina Abramović and Pat Steir.
Art in Context
Painting with Pissarro:
The Journey into Modernism
Tuesdays, March 12 – April 16, 2 – 4pm
Learn about Pissarro’s relationships with his contemporaries and his central role in the development of modern art.
Family / Talks & Tours
Stroller Tour
Thursday, March 14, 10:30 – 11:15am
Our new Stroller Tours make visiting our galleries less stressful for families with babies.
Talks & Tours / Members
Lecture:
Susan Sidlauskas on the Barnes’s Portraits of Madame Cézanne
Saturday, March 16, 11:30am – 12:30pm
Susan Sidlauskas, professor at Rutgers University, explores how Cézanne’s portraits of his wife offer insight into their complex relationship and undervalued collaboration.
Talks & Tours
In Focus Gallery Talk: Renoir’s Cup of Chocolate
Monday, March 18, 2 – 2:30pm
Hear the story behind the painting from Z. Serena Qiu, a doctoral candidate in the history of art at the University of Pennsylvania. Free with admission; Room 9
Art in Context
Exploring the Marvelous: Surrealism
Tuesdays, March 19 – April 23, 1 – 3pm
Journey into the marvelous world of dreams, psychic terror, and liberation from the ordinary in this short course on surrealism.
Understanding Materials and Techniques
The Fauve Palette
Tuesdays, March 19 – April 9, 6 – 8pm
Learn how Fauve painters like Henri Matisse and Alfred Maurer drew upon theories about color and perception in their canvases.
Art in Context
“Dear Barnes”:
Letters Between Albert C. Barnes and His Artist Friends
Tuesdays, March 19 – April 9, 6 – 8pm
Archivist and historian Barbara Anne Beaucar shares the history of the Barnes through authentic archival documents—including newly discovered letters.
Members
Member Orientation
Friday, March 22, 10 – 11am
New members are invited to learn more about the perks of membership at the Barnes.
Free / Talks & Tours
Graduate Student Symposium on the History of Art—
Keynote Lecture
Thursday, March 28, 6:30 – 8pm
Gauvin Alexander Bailey, professor at Queen's University, Ontario, speaks about the history and architecture of the Palace of Sans-Souci in Milot, Haiti.
Free / Talks & Tours
Graduate Student Symposium on the History of Art
Friday, March 29, 10am – 4:30pm
Discover current research in art history through presentations and moderated discussions.
Art in Context
Hot Art and Cold War:
American Art at Midcentury
Mondays, April 1 – April 29, 6 – 8pm
From abstract expressionism to pop, learn about the art and history of the United States at midcentury, when American artists moved to the forefront of the avant-garde.
Understanding Materials and Techniques
Early Photographic Processes
Mondays, April 8 – April 29, 6 – 8pm
This course looks at how the earliest photographs were created, with hands-on opportunities to experience those original processes.
Art in Context
Pennsylvania German Decorative Arts
Mondays, April 8 – April 29, 6 – 8pm
Explore the Pennsylvania German artifacts collected by Dr. Barnes and learn about the culture in which they were originally made and used.
The Barnes Method
The Painted Garden
Tuesdays, April 16 – May 7, 1 – 3pm
Explore the visual vocabulary shared by painters and garden designers.
Art in Context
Manet, Impressionism, and Modernism
Tuesdays, April 16 – May 7, 6 – 8pm
An introduction to the work of Édouard Manet, with special attention to his paintings of the 1870s.
Art in Context
Understanding Video Art
Tuesdays, April 16 – May 7, 6 – 8pm
Explore key works of video art and learn about the theories behind them.
Art in Context
The Battle Between Line and Color
Tuesdays, April 23 – May 14, 1 – 3pm
Trace the long-running debate on the relationship between line and color through close looking at paintings in the Barnes collection.
Art in Context
Homegrown Concerns:
American Modernism c. 1900–1950
Tuesday, June 4, 10am – 4pm
This one-day workshop explores key artists from one of the most prolific moments in American history, including Alfred Stieglitz, Jacob Lawrence, and Edward Hopper.
The Barnes Method
Decoding Barnes’s Ensembles
Tuesday, June 18, 10am – 4pm
Learn to better understand why Albert Barnes arranged his collection in such an unconventional way in this one-day workshop.
Understanding Materials and Techniques
The Living Still Life
Tuesday, July 9, 10am – 4pm
In this one-day workshop, learn how the once-humble still life became an important genre in contemporary art.
Understanding Materials and Techniques
Understanding Color in Painting
Tuesday, July 16, 10am – 4pm
Explore the history and use of color in paintings from the Barnes collection.
Understanding Materials and Techniques
Drawing with Scissors
Tuesday, August 6 – Wednesday, August 7
Explore the unique cut-paper method developed by Henri Matisse and discover your inner artist with a hands-on lesson.
Art in Context
Bill Viola in Context
Saturday, August 17, 10am – 4pm
A look at the artist’s innovative contributions to video, sound, and installation art as well as the provocative themes that inspire his creations.