Take a Class
Study art history at the Barnes, a leader in art education since 1925. Come learn in our galleries, or take classes online using our immersive, state-of-the-art platform that brings you closer to the work than ever before.
Online Art History Classes: Enroll Today
The Barnes has been an innovator in art education for 100 years. For a limited time, sign up to receive 10% off your first class.
Highlights Tour
This one-hour tour is perfect for first-time visitors. Explore highlights of the collection and learn the history of the Barnes.
Private Collection Tour
Explore highlights of the collection and learn the history of the Barnes. This tour is a private one-hour experience for you and up to nine guests.
Private Collection Tour: Favorite Artists
Choose your favorite artists in the collection for a private one-hour experience for up to ten guests.
Daily Gallery Talks
Every day, our gallery specialists offer talks about the Barnes collection. Learn more about our history, founder, and collection.
The Art of Light
Discover how light shapes meaning in this self-paced online course. Explore its role in composition, mood, and symbolism through guided close looking.
July Spotlight Tour:
The Americans
Discover the diverse array of American works in Dr. Barnes’s ensembles—paintings, pottery, furniture, and more.
Free July at the Barnes
Philadelphia residents can visit the Barnes for free this July and experience our collection, exhibitions, and more.
Barnes on the Block
Join us for a block party, with live art, food trucks, a beer garden, and music.
Close-Looking Immersion: Demuth’s Piano Mover’s Holiday
Using a meditative approach, this hour-long session offers an in-depth look at Demuth’s precise technique. Instructor: Kaelin Jewell
Members-Only Online Tour: American Modern: Glackens, Pendergast, Hartley, Demuth
Members are invited to an online tour spotlighting American artists in the Barnes collection and their dialogue with European modern painting.
Members-Only Talk: Bill Perthes on Just Us
Members are invited to an exclusive talk about our new exhibition of original work by justice-impacted artists from Mural Arts Philadelphia and SCI Phoenix.
Member Introduction: Sky Hopinka: Red Metal Dust
Learn more about Red Metal Dust, a site-specific installation that explores and interrogates the American experience and its histories.
Book Talk: Black Curators Matter with Kellie Jones
Author Kellie Jones discusses her latest book, Black Curators Matter: Conversations on Art and Change, with curator Rujecko Hockley.
Members-Only Online Evening Tour: The Barnes Collection
See favorite works like never before, with details that reveal so much about the art and artist.
Barnes Curious? Let’s Talk about Cézanne
Join us in the collection galleries for a short close looking and discussion session on Cézanne. Instructor: William Perthes
Just Us: Art and Restorative Justice
Learn how art can play a role in justice reform—in raising awareness of mass incarceration, providing paths toward reentry, and more. Instructor: William Perthes
August Spotlight Tour: The Americans
Discover the diverse array of American works in Dr. Barnes’s ensembles—paintings, pottery, furniture, and more.
PECO Free First Sunday Family Day: Beats with Heart
Join us for a celebration of music, featuring Steve Weiss Mallet Festival, and art for the whole family.
The Language of Painting
Discover how artists use color, light, line, and space in this one‑day, on‑site workshop. Instructor: Kaelin Jewell
Barnes Curious? Let’s Talk about Picasso
Discover Picasso in this new mini class, an hour of guided discussion and close looking inside our storied galleries. Instructor: Naina Saligram
Members-Only Online Tour: American Modern: Glackens, Pendergast, Hartley, Demuth
Members are invited to an online tour spotlighting American artists in the Barnes collection and their dialogue with European modern painting.
First Friday: Justin Hicks & BlackStar Film Festival
Tonight’s collaboration with BlackStar Film Festival features music by Justin Hicks.
Close-Looking Immersion: Vieira da Silva’s The Domestic Symphony
Using a meditative approach, this hour-long session offers an in-depth look at Vieira da Silva’s masterful composition. Instructor: Naina Saligram
Members-Only Online Talk: Building the Barnes Ensembles: Room 14
This exclusive online talk offers an unprecedented look at Room 14 through the years.
Member Introduction: Sky Hopinka: Red Metal Dust
Learn more about Red Metal Dust, a site-specific installation that explores and interrogates the American experience and its histories.
Barnes Curious? Let’s Talk about Matisse
Discover Matisse in this new mini class, an hour of guided discussion and close looking inside our storied galleries. Instructor: Martha Lucy
Japonisme in Impressionist and Post-Impressionist Art
Learn how Japanese art transformed modern painting in this online workshop. Instructor: Larissa Bailiff
September Spotlight Tour: Firestorm! Outrage! Dr. Barnes’s Scandalous 1923 Philadelphia Exhibition
Revisit the critically panned show that pitted Dr. Barnes against Philadelphia’s elite, and see which works remain in the collection.
First Friday: Guthrie Ramsey
Pianist and composer Guthrie Ramsey performs Who Hears Here?, a celebration of 250 years of American music.
Collection Concentration: Searching for Paradise: Arcadian Landscapes from Antiquity to the Modern World
Explore how artists reimagined Arcadia through landscape, color, and form in key works from the Barnes collection. Instructor: Kaelin Jewell
The Traditions of Art
Study the evolution of artistic traditions through close looking in the Barnes galleries. Instructor: William Perthes
Members-Only Online Tour: Firestorm! Outrage! Dr. Barnes’s Scandalous 1923 Philadelphia Exhibition
Philadelphia critics once panned Dr. Barnes’s collection. Discover the press feud and learn which works remain in the collection today.
Visions from the Nile: Art and Life in Ancient Egypt
Explore life along the Nile and how art shaped daily life, ritual, and belief in ancient Egypt. Instructor: Carl Walsh
Exhibiting Modernism: From the Salon to the Avant-Garde
Learn how exhibition culture shaped artists, audiences, and modern art. Instructor: Caterina Y. Pierre
The Elements of Art
Discover the visual language of art through close looking and discussion centered on works from the Barnes collection. Instructor: William Perthes
The Traditions of Art
Learn how modern artists adapted earlier traditions and developed new visual languages. Instructor: Kaelin Jewell
Post-Impressionism and the Making of Modern Art
Explore how Cézanne, Van Gogh, Gauguin, and Seurat transformed modern painting through radical new approaches to color and form. Instructor: Larissa Bailiff
Barnes Cinema: Sitting Still
Our film series continues with Gina Angelone’s 2024 documentary about landscape architect Laurie Olin.
Being Present with Art: Welcoming Change
Slow down through mindfulness, close looking, and reflection in this art-centered workshop exploring seasonal change. Instructor: Roksana Filipowska
Member Previews: Noguchi to Asawa: Designing Postwar America
Members are invited to view our newest exhibition before it opens to the public on Sunday, September 20.
Close-Looking Immersion: Cézanne’s Mont Sainte-Victoire
Discover hidden details in this hour devoted to observing and discussing Cézanne’s Mont Sainte-Victoire. Instructor: Kaelin Jewell
Curators in Conversation: Noguchi to Asawa: Designing Postwar America
Join us for an engaging conversation about our newest exhibition on its opening day.
Sound and Color: The Sensory World of Monet and Debussy
Experience Monet and musical impressionism through live performance, close looking, and conversation in the Barnes galleries. Instructor: Mimi Stillman
Member Introduction: Sky Hopinka: Red Metal Dust
Learn more about Red Metal Dust, a site-specific installation that explores and interrogates the American experience and its histories.
Members-Only Tour: Noguchi to Asawa: Designing Postwar America
Members are invited to an exclusive tour of our newest exhibition.
Online Member Orientation
New members are invited to join Barnes staff online for a chat about membership and benefits, followed by a docent-led virtual tour of the collection.
Members-Only Online Tour: Noguchi to Asawa: Designing Postwar America
Members are invited to an exclusive virtual tour of our newest exhibition.
October Spotlight Tour: Firestorm! Outrage! Dr. Barnes’s Scandalous 1923 Philadelphia Exhibition
Revisit the critically panned show that pitted Dr. Barnes against Philadelphia’s elite, and see which works remain in the collection.
James McNeill Whistler: An American Painter Abroad
Explore Whistler’s international artistic networks and his role in shaping modern art across France, England, and America. Instructor: Suzanne Singletary
Mary Cassatt: Art, Identity, and Independence
Discover how Cassatt reshaped modern art through intimate scenes, innovative printmaking, and radical depictions of women. Instructor: Larissa Bailiff
Thomas Eakins: American Realist
Examine Eakins’s powerful realism through portraits, photography, and scenes of modern American life. Instructor: Lea Stephenson
Aaron Douglas from Harlem to Philly
Explore Douglas’s connection to the Barnes Foundation and his role in shaping the visual language of the Harlem Renaissance. Instructor: Alison Boyd
Color and the Painter’s Practice
Learn how artists use color through gallery discussions, practical exercises, and hands-on experimentation. Instructor: Michael Kowbuz
2026 Barnes Art Ball
Join us for our yearly celebration of art, community, and philanthropy.
Exhibition Seminar: Noguchi to Asawa: Designing Postwar America
Explore the contributions of Japanese American artists and designers through guided discussion in the exhibition galleries. Instructor: Joseph Tokumasu Field
Close-Looking Immersion: Glackens’s Beach at Dieppe
Spend an hour closely observing Glackens’s Beach at Dieppe through guided discussion and immersive digital viewing. Instructor: William Perthes
What Is Art? Marcel Duchamp
Learn how Duchamp challenged conventional ideas of art and transformed modern artistic practice. Instructor: Matthew Palczynski
The Ballets Russes: Art, Music, and Modern Performance
Explore the revolutionary collaborations of the Ballets Russes through music, dance, painting, and design. Instructor: Mimi Stillman
Graphic Design: An Unruly History
Trace the history of graphic design across eras and cultures in this creative and comprehensive survey. Instructor: Dan Shepelavy
Baroque Masters of Southern Europe: Caravaggio to Velázquez
Explore Baroque painting through the work of Caravaggio, Gentileschi, Poussin, and Velázquez. Instructor: Wayne Franits
The Femme Fatale in Art, Film, and Pop Culture, 1890 to Now
Study the mysterious femme fatale, an archetype for exploring themes of gender, power, sexuality, and morality across art forms. Instructor: Martha Lucy
Close-Looking Immersion: Matisse’s Still Life with Gourds
Spend an hour closely observing Matisse’s Still Life with Gourds through guided discussion and immersive digital viewing. Instructor: Kaelin Jewell
Exhibition Seminar: Noguchi to Asawa: Designing Postwar America
Explore the contributions of Japanese American artists and designers through guided discussion in the exhibition galleries. Instructor: Joseph Tokumasu Field
The Foundations of Drawing in the Barnes Collection
Learn the fundamentals of drawing through gallery discussions, demonstrations, and hands-on practice. Instructor: Michael Kowbuz
Barnes Curious? Let’s Talk about Renoir
Join us in the collection galleries for a short close-looking and discussion session on Renoir. Instructor: Naina Saligram
Inside the Barnes Ensembles: Room 14
Delve into the history of Room 14 through archival materials, close looking, and discussion of the Barnes ensembles. Instructors: Kaelin Jewell and Amanda McKnight
Art, Ritual, and Death in the 19th Century
Study Victorian mourning culture through art, photography, fashion, and memorial objects. Instructor: Caterina Y. Pierre
Close-Looking Immersion: Cézanne’s Young Man and Skull
Take a deep dive into Cézanne’s painting using the Barnes Method. Instructor: William Perthes
Being Present with Art: Connecting to the Light Within
Reflect through mindfulness, close looking, and guided discussion in this winter-focused art and meditation workshop. Instructor: Roksana Filipowska
The Art of Display: Exploring the Barnes Ensembles
Uncover connections hidden in plain sight by studying Dr. Barnes’s enigmatic displays of art at your own pace.
The Art of Color
Explore how artists use color to shape meaning, emotion, and structure in this self-paced class.
The Art of Looking: An Introduction to the Barnes Method
This interactive online course will teach you the basics of the Barnes Method of studying art, at your own pace.
In Focus: Henri Rousseau
Study Rousseau’s enigmatic paintings using our state-of-the-art interactive platform. Zoom in on his strange imagery, and discover why Rousseau continues to captivate.
In Focus: Pierre-Auguste Renoir
An introduction to Renoir’s life and work, with interactive videos that let you explore his canvases up close. See why Renoir is more than just rosy cheeks and cute babies.
In Focus: The Ancient World
A fresh look at ancient art. Learn about works from ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome.
Saint Joseph’s University Museum Education Graduate Program
A collaboration with SJU, this new program prepares future museum educators for roles in public and private institutions.
Horticulture Certificate Program
Our two-year certificate program covers horticultural science, methods, and design.
The Barnes–de Mazia Certificate Program
This special track offers an immersion in the Barnes Method and an introduction to other interpretive approaches.
Art, Well-Being, and Medicine
Our group workshops help medical students and healthcare professionals develop a more empathetic, humanistic approach to patient care.
Gift a Barnes Class
Give the gift of lifelong learning with art history classes taught by Barnes experts.