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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.

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Classes are streamed live via our VXP (visual experience platform).

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Special Offer / Online / On-Site

Gift a Barnes Class

Ongoing

Give the gift of lifelong learning with art history classes taught by Barnes experts.

Matisse and Color
Online

Matisse and Color

Wednesday, December 13, 10am – 4pm

This course examines how Matisse created a new way of using color known as fauvism. Instructor: Michael Williamson

Photography and Painting
Online

Photography and Painting

Thursdays, January 4 – January 25, 6 – 8pm

Explore how painting was irrevocably changed by the invention of photography. Instructor: Michael Williamson

El Greco: Renaissance Mystic and Modernity’s Vanguardist
Online

El Greco: Renaissance Mystic and Modernity’s Vanguardist

Saturdays, January 6 – January 27, 11am – 1pm

Learn how the Renaissance painter was inspired by mysticism and how his work found favor with impressionists and modern artists. Instructor: Sheila Barker

Learning to See
Online / Barnes Method

Learning to See

Mondays, January 8 – January 29, 2 – 4pm

Learn how artists use visual media to communicate their unique experience of the world. Instructor: Kaelin Jewell

Charles Demuth: The Erotic Watercolors
Online

Charles Demuth: The Erotic Watercolors

Mondays, January 8 – January 29, 6 – 8pm

Examine works by Demuth that explore his identity as an openly gay artist. Instructor: Ty Vanover

Mysticism, Spirituality, and Modern Art
Online

Mysticism, Spirituality, and Modern Art

Wednesdays, January 10 – January 31, 6 – 8pm

Learn how spiritual ideas and mystical experiences influenced painters in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Instructor: Roksana Filipowska

The Traditions of Art
Online / Barnes Method

The Traditions of Art

Thursdays, January 25 – April 25, 1 – 4pm

Learn how modern artists adapted earlier traditions in developing new visual languages. Instructor: Kaelin Jewell

The Art and Architecture of the Islamic World
Online

The Art and Architecture of the Islamic World

Thursdays, February 1 – February 22, 12 – 2pm

An introduction to Islamic art and architecture, focusing on key objects and their social and political contexts. Instructor: Emily Neumeier

Horace Pippin’s Modernism
Online

Horace Pippin’s Modernism

Fridays, February 2 – February 23, 2 – 4pm

Reexamine Pippin’s art and legacy in the context of the galleries in which he once studied. Instructor: Alison Boyd

The Techniques of Color in Modern Painting
Online

The Techniques of Color in Modern Painting

Mondays, February 5 – February 26, 6 – 8pm

Explore the materials and approaches that made impressionism, post-impressionism, fauvism, and early modernism such groundbreaking movements. Instructor: Al Gury

Post-Impressionism in the Barnes
Online

Post-Impressionism in the Barnes

Tuesdays, February 6 – February 27, 4 – 6pm

Learn about the radical generation of artists that emerged from the dissolution of the impressionist group. Instructor: Christa DiMarco

The Impressionists: Friends and Family
Online

The Impressionists: Friends and Family

Wednesdays, February 7 – February 28, 4 – 6pm

This course is a deep dive into the history and activities of the impressionist group and the deep bonds of its members. Instructor: Caterina Y. Pierre

The Bauhaus: Unity of the Arts
Online

The Bauhaus: Unity of the Arts

Mondays, March 4 – March 25, 12 – 2pm

Delve into the Bauhaus school and movement and explore how we are still unpacking its remarkable legacy. Instructor: Matthew Palczynski

Art and Splendor in Ancient Rome
Online

Art and Splendor in Ancient Rome

Tuesdays, March 5 – March 26, 6 – 8pm

Explore the major achievements of the Roman world by looking closely at key examples of architecture, painting, and sculpture. Instructor: Kaelin Jewell

Art of the Great Migration
Online

Art of the Great Migration

Wednesdays, March 6 – March 27, 1 – 3pm

Examine important works by African American artists who migrated from south to north after the Reconstruction era. Instructor: Michael Williamson

The French Revolution and the Arts
Online

The French Revolution and the Arts

Wednesdays, March 6 – March 27, 5 – 7pm

Study the cultural, social, and visual changes that occurred during and after the French Revolution. Instructor: André Dombrowski

Close-Looking Immersion: Cézanne’s <i>Ginger Jar</i>
Online / Barnes Method

Close-Looking Immersion: Cézanne’s Ginger Jar

Wednesday, March 13, 12 – 1:30pm

This new series of single-session immersions provides opportunities to study and discuss individual works. In this session, we’ll examine Cézanne’s Ginger Jar.

Dutch Art in the Time of Rembrandt and Vermeer: A Look at the “Non-Golden Age”
Online

Dutch Art in the Time of Rembrandt and Vermeer: A Look at the “Non-Golden Age”

Fridays, April 5 – April 26, 12 – 2pm

Examine the masters of the Dutch Golden Age while also considering the social and political issues of the time. Instructor: Ashley West

The Classical Tradition in Modern Art
Online

The Classical Tradition in Modern Art

Mondays, April 8 – April 29, 6 – 8pm

Learn how some modern artists looked to classical myths, artifacts, and ideas for inspiration. Instructor: Naina Saligram

Artists As Cultivators
Online

Artists As Cultivators

Tuesdays, April 9 – April 30, 6 – 8pm

This course, taught by the curators of the PAFA exhibition, examines how artists use nature to explore issues of American identity. Instructors: Anna O. Marley, Leah Triplett Harrington

Close-Looking Immersion: Picasso’s <i>Acrobat and Young Harlequin </i>
Online / Barnes Method

Close-Looking Immersion: Picasso’s Acrobat and Young Harlequin

Wednesday, April 10, 12 – 1:30pm

This new series of single-session immersions provides opportunities to study and discuss individual works. In this session, we’ll examine Picasso’s Acrobat and Young Harlequin.

Portraiture at the Barnes: From the 15th Century to Modernism
Online

Portraiture at the Barnes: From the 15th Century to Modernism

Thursdays, May 2 – May 23, 1 – 3pm

Uncover the wide range of expression that portraits at the Barnes offer. Instructor: Laura L. Watts

The Japanese American Century: Noguchi, Nakashima, and Asawa
Online

The Japanese American Century: Noguchi, Nakashima, and Asawa

Fridays, May 3 – May 24, 1 – 3pm

Examine the critical contributions Japanese American artists made to the 20th-century art world. Instructor: Joseph Tokumasu Field

Close-Looking Immersion: Matisse’s <i>Red Madras Headdress</i>
Online / Barnes Method

Close-Looking Immersion: Matisse’s Red Madras Headdress

Wednesday, May 8, 12 – 1:30pm

This new series of single-session immersions focuses on individual works in the collection. In this session, we’ll examine Matisse’s Red Madras Headdress.

Mary Cassatt at Work
Online

Mary Cassatt at Work

Tuesdays, June 4 – June 25, 4 – 6pm

Explore Cassatt's methods, materials, and contributions to modernism with the curators of the PMA exhibition. Instructors: Laurel Garber, Jennifer Thompson.