Take a Class
Why take an online class at the Barnes?
- Our online classes are conducted live, which means you can engage with your instructor and with fellow students.
- We use state-of-the-art technology that allows you to zoom in closely and see details that can’t be experienced in person—down to the individual brushstroke.
- Topics change continually and are taught by experts from all over the world.
- Can’t attend a live session? Online classes are recorded for access later. Learn more about Barnes classes.
Research Notes:
March 2022
New theories and recent discoveries from the Barnes Foundation's curators, scholars, conservators, and archivists.
Research Notes:
August 2023
New theories and recent discoveries from the Barnes’s curators, scholars, conservators, and archivists.
Research Notes:
June 2023
New theories and recent discoveries from the Barnes’s curators, scholars, conservators, and archivists.
Art Education Classes
Study art history and art appreciation at the Barnes with a full array of online and on-site classes.
Give the Gift of the Barnes: Tickets, Classes, and More
Give the gift of the Barnes to family, friends, and colleagues.
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 Tours
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 seven guests.
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.
Discover the Barnes Print Shop
Shop for artwork reproductions to bring favorite paintings from the Barnes collection home.
September Spotlight Tour: Van Gogh and the Avant-Garde
Take a closer look at the work of Van Gogh and his radical contemporaries.
PECO Free First Sunday Family Day: Community Storytellers
Today's free family activities and performances celebrate the sounds and stories of our communities.
October Spotlight Tour: Face to Face: Portraiture in the Barnes
Explore the incredible diversity of portraiture in the collection—from Hals to Van Gogh, Matisse, and Soutine.
Flourishing through Art
Discover how connecting with art can enhance your experiences, relationships, and sense of resilience. Instructors: James O. Pawelski, Katherine N. Cotter
Latin American Modern Art
Learn how Latin American artists, including Tarsila do Amaral, Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, and Wifredo Lam, responded to political and social upheaval during the 20th century. Instructor: Mey-Yen Moriuchi
Graphic Design: An Unruly History
Explore graphic design across eras and cultures in this creative and comprehensive survey. Instructor: Dan Shepelavy
Members-Only Online Tour: The Barnes Collection
This exclusive online tour allows our members to examine pieces of the collection closer than previously thought possible.
Paris in the 1920s: Art, Design, Fashion, and Literature
Learn about the artists, writers, and designers who helped define the modern era. Instructor: Caterina Y. Pierre
Gustav Klimt: Modernism in the Making
Klimt broke with the art establishment and ushered in a distinct Austrian modernism. Explore his work as well as this unique period in Viennese art. Instructor: Leslie Bowen
First Friday! Luke Carlos O’Reilly
Pianist, organist, and composer Luke Carlos O’Reilly performs a blend of jazz, R&B, and soul.
Members-Only Online Tour: Iconic Portraiture in the Barnes
This exclusive online tour focuses on iconic and expressive portraits by Van Gogh, Matisse, Soutine, and more.
ARTZ @ The Museum
This program provides free access to the Barnes for people living with dementia and their care partners.
New Member Reception
Explore the Barnes collection after-hours at this special evening reception for new members.
Online Member Orientation
New members are invited to join us online to learn more about the perks of membership at the Barnes.
Lecture: Anna Arabindan-Kesson on Cotton in the Atlantic World
Learn how cotton has been used in art history to visualize meanings of race and how contemporary artists are using it to tell new stories.
Member Previews: Marie Laurencin: Sapphic Paris
As a member, see our latest exhibition before the public opening.
2023 Barnes Art Ball
Join us for our yearly celebration of art, community, and philanthropy.
Curators in Conversation: Marie Laurencin: Sapphic Paris
This engaging conversation on Marie Laurencin features exhibition curators Simonetta Fraquelli and Cindy Kang.
Members-Only Online Tour: Marie Laurencin
Members are invited to an exclusive online tour of Marie Laurencin: Sapphic Paris.
Exhibition Tour: Marie Laurencin: Sapphic Paris
Dive deeper into the life and work of the French artist with a docent-led tour.
Private Exhibition Tour: Marie Laurencin: Sapphic Paris
Explore the life and work of the French modern artist in a private docent-led tour.
Members-Only Tour: Marie Laurencin
Members are invited to exclusive tours of Marie Laurencin: Sapphic Paris in the Roberts Gallery.
20th-Century American Painting
This one-day workshop surveys a broad range of American art movements. Instructor: Matthew Palczynski
Members-Only Gallery Talk: Cézanne’s Bathers at Rest
Each month, members of our Adult Education team present exclusive talks to members. Today, Liam Murphy-Torres discusses Cézanne in Room 8.
Early Picasso: 1901–1906
Examine works from the artist’s Blue and Rose Periods that are pivotal to understanding his enduring legacy. Instructor: Naina Saligram
November Spotlight Tour: Remembering Picasso
Tour our collection of works by Pablo Picasso and consider his influence on the art of the 20th century and beyond.
Member Orientation
New members are invited to learn more about the perks of membership at the Barnes.
First Friday! The Mini Qs
The Philly-based jazz-soul trio performs tonight.
PECO Free First Sunday Family Day: Untold Stories
Enjoy free art and family activities, plus performances by the poet and musician Khemist.
Lenape Craft, Art, and Curation, Historic and Contemporary
Learn about craft and art in Lenape culture, past and present, and museum and media representation. Instructors: Teri Hislop, Adam Waterbear DePaul
Members-Only Evening Tour: Iconic Portraiture in the Barnes
This exclusive after-hours tour focuses on iconic and expressive portraits in the collection.
Marie Laurencin: Sapphic Paris
Explore Marie Laurencin's artistic universe with exhibition co-curator Cindy Kang.
World War I and the Avant-Garde
Examine how artists around the globe responded to the violence and trauma of World War I. Instructor: Mechella Yezernitskaya
Art and the First “Homosexuals”
This course surveys artistic representations of homosexual identity, from the early 1900s through the first decades of the 20th century. Instructor: Jonathan D. Katz
Decoding Barnes’s Ensembles
Get a better understanding of why Dr. Albert Barnes arranged his collection in such an unconventional way. Instructor: William Perthes
The Art and Life of Toulouse-Lautrec
Explore the gritty underworld of 19th-century Paris through the work of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. Instructor: Martha Lucy
Young Professionals Night: MoonLit
After-hours art, style, and music await Philadelphia’s young leaders and Barnes Contemporaries members.
Supporter Reception for Marie Laurencin: Sapphic Paris
Celebrate the opening of our latest exhibition with fellow members.
Lecture: Joseph Henry on Picasso’s Melodrama
Learn how Picasso’s personal life influenced his unique take on modernism.
Members-Only Online Tour: Iconic Portraiture in the Barnes
This exclusive online tour focuses on iconic and expressive portraits by Van Gogh, Matisse, Soutine, and more.
Members-Only Online Tour: Remembering Picasso
Members are invited to an exclusive online collection tour focused on works by Pablo Picasso.
Members-Only Online Tour: Marie Laurencin
Members are invited to an exclusive online tour of Marie Laurencin: Sapphic Paris.
Member Appreciation Days
This December, members get even more—join us for exclusive talks, plus extra discounts.
Member Appreciation Talk: “Modern Women Artists at MoMA: A Work in Progress”
Senior curator Anne Umland details her institution’s efforts to highlight modern women artists.
December Spotlight Tour: Remembering Picasso
Tour our collection of works by Pablo Picasso and consider his influence on the art of the 20th century and beyond.
First Friday! Laurin Talese
This December, the Philly jazz and soul singer brings her unique sound to the Barnes.
PECO Free First Sunday Family Day: New Traditions
Today's event features musical performances by Los Bomberos de la Calle.
Leslie Bowen’s Favorites: Then and Now
Join Leslie Bowen, a longtime Barnes instructor, for a personal look at the Barnes collection.
Member Appreciation Talk: “The Cult of Picasso in America 1921–51”
Barnes research fellow Naina Saligram explores Picasso's reception in the US and Dr. Barnes's reaction to.
Members-Only Online Tour: Remembering Picasso
Members are invited to an exclusive online collection tour focused on works by Pablo Picasso.
Matisse and Color
This course examines how Matisse created a new way of using color known as fauvism. Instructor: Michael Williamson
Member Appreciation Talk: “Art and Medicine at the Barnes”
Bill Perthes talks about the unique and fascinating relationship between medicine and the Barnes.
Timeless/Timely: Marking Change in Impressionism and Its Afterlives
See how artists in the late 19th century were able to mark—and make—change in their work. Instructor: Miriam Ashkin Stanton
Members-Only Online Tour: Marie Laurencin
Members are invited to an exclusive online tour of Marie Laurencin: Sapphic Paris.
The Barnes–de Mazia Certificate Program
This special track offers an immersion in the Barnes Method and an introduction to other interpretive approaches.
Horticulture Certificate Program
Our three-year certificate program covers horticultural science, methods, and design.
Gift a Barnes Class
Give the gift of lifelong learning with art history classes taught by Barnes experts.