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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.

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

Close-Looking Immersion: Gauguin’s <i>Haere Pape</i>
Online / Barnes Method

Close-Looking Immersion: Gauguin’s Haere Pape

Wednesday, December 11, 12 – 1:30pm

This new series of single-session immersions provides opportunities to study and discuss individual works. Instructor: Naina Saligram

Bosch and Bruegel
Online

Bosch and Bruegel

Tuesdays, January 7 – January 28, 2 – 4pm

Explore works by the Netherlandish painters and the connections between their art. Instructor: Larry Silver

Paul Gauguin: His Art and Legacy
Online

Paul Gauguin: His Art and Legacy

Wednesdays, January 8 – January 29, 4 – 6pm

The course delves into Gauguin’s style, subject matter, and problematic legacy. Instructor: Christa DiMarco

Close-Looking Immersion: Van Gogh’s <i>The Postman</i>
Online / Barnes Method

Close-Looking Immersion: Van Gogh’s The Postman

Wednesday, January 8, 6 – 7:30pm

Our 90-minute immersions provide opportunities to study and discuss individual works. Instructor: Kaelin Jewell

Picasso in Focus: New Discoveries at the Barnes
Online

Picasso in Focus: New Discoveries at the Barnes

Thursdays, January 9 – January 30, 6 – 8pm

Learn more about Picasso works in the collection with our conservation and research team. Instructors: Christine Romano, Naina Saligram

The Traditions of Art
Online / Barnes Method

The Traditions of Art

Wednesdays, January 22 – April 23, 6 – 9pm

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

The Elements of Art
Online / Barnes Method

The Elements of Art

Thursdays, January 23 – April 24, 1 – 4pm

Learn basic aesthetic principles and discover art’s communicative power by studying works in the Barnes collection. Instructor: William Perthes

Matisse in the Studio
Online

Matisse in the Studio

Thursdays, January 23 – February 13, 3 – 5pm

This course offers a deep dive into Matisse’s creative process. Instructor: Ellen McBreen

Art Crime and the FBI: How Masterpieces Are Stolen and Recovered
Online

Art Crime and the FBI: How Masterpieces Are Stolen and Recovered

Mondays, February 3 – February 24, 12 – 2pm

Join a famous art detective for a look at notorious art heists and daring recovery operations. Instructor: Robert Wittman

Horace Pippin’s Modernism
Online

Horace Pippin’s Modernism

Tuesdays, February 4 – February 25, 6 – 8pm

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

The Modernists of Montparnasse: The Barnes and Beyond
Online

The Modernists of Montparnasse: The Barnes and Beyond

Thursdays, February 6 – February 27, 1 – 3pm

Explore early 20th-century Paris and the circle of artists—including Picasso, Modigliani, De Chirico, and Matisse—who shaped the course of modern art. Instructor: Joseph Tokumasu Field

Close-Looking Immersion: Cézanne’s <i>Still Life with Skull</i>
Online / Barnes Method

Close-Looking Immersion: Cézanne’s Still Life with Skull

Wednesday, February 12, 12 – 1:30pm

Our 90-minute immersions provide opportunities to study and discuss individual works. Instructor: William Perthes

The Art and Life of Toulouse-Lautrec
Online

The Art and Life of Toulouse-Lautrec

Thursdays, February 27 – March 20, 6 – 8pm

Explore the gritty underworld of 19th-century Paris through the work of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. Instructor: Martha Lucy

Andrew Wyeth in Context: Art, Place, and Practice
Online

Andrew Wyeth in Context: Art, Place, and Practice

Fridays, March 7 – March 28, 2 – 4pm

Consider the creative legacy of the American artist, with special insights from his granddaughter. Instructors: William L. Coleman, Victoria Browning Wyeth

African Art in the Barnes: Context and Meanings
Online

African Art in the Barnes: Context and Meanings

Mondays, March 10 – March 31, 11am – 1pm

Learn the traditional meanings and uses of the African sculpture collected by Dr. Barnes while considering the impact of colonialism and imperialism. Instructor: Dwaune Latimer

Close-Looking Immersion: Picasso’s <i>Violin, Sheet Music, and Bottle</i>
Online / Barnes Method

Close-Looking Immersion: Picasso’s Violin, Sheet Music, and Bottle

Wednesday, March 12, 6 – 7:30pm

Our 90-minute immersions provide opportunities to study and discuss individual works. Instructor: Naina Saligram

Contemporary Art and the Canon: Emulation, Pastiche, Parody
Online / Exhibition-Related

Contemporary Art and the Canon: Emulation, Pastiche, Parody

Thursdays, April 3 – April 24, 1 – 3pm

Explore the complex relationship between modern artists and the art of the past. Instructor: Paul Galvez

About Faces: A History of the Art of Portraiture
Online

About Faces: A History of the Art of Portraiture

Tuesdays, April 8 – April 29, 6 – 8pm

Explore the incredible diversity of portraiture in the collection—from Hals to Van Gogh, Matisse, and Renoir. Instructor: Brian Seymour

Close-Looking Immersion: Memling’s <i>Portrait of a Man</i>
Online / Barnes Method

Close-Looking Immersion: Memling’s Portrait of a Man

Wednesday, April 9, 12 – 1:30pm

Our 90-minute immersions provide opportunities to study and discuss individual works. Instructor: William Perthes

Preparing for <i>From Paris to Provence</i>
Online / Exhibition-Related

Preparing for From Paris to Provence

Tuesdays, April 22 – May 13, 2 – 4pm

Join us for a behind-the-scenes look at the organization and launch of an exhibition at the Barnes. Instructor: Cindy Kang

The Garden in Impressionism and Post-Impressionism
Online

The Garden in Impressionism and Post-Impressionism

Mondays, April 28 – May 19, 2 – 4pm

Learn how 19th-century French garden design—especially the approach to texture and color theory—influenced the impressionists. Instructors: Andrew Bunting, Martha Lucy

Rendez-vous au Café: Café Culture in 19th-Century Art
Online

Rendez-vous au Café: Café Culture in 19th-Century Art

Wednesdays, April 30 – May 21, 6 – 8pm

Cafés hold a special place in the history of modern art. Learn how and why they inspired some of the most famous paintings of the time. Instructor: Caterina Y. Pierre

The Art of Color: Exploring Palettes from the Renaissance to the Fauves
Online

The Art of Color: Exploring Palettes from the Renaissance to the Fauves

Tuesdays, May 6 – May 27, 6 – 8pm

Journey through the vibrant world of artists’ palettes and learn how evolving materials and color theories shaped European painting over the past 400 years. Instructor: Al Gury

Bars, Brawls, and Backstreets: Art of the Ashcan School
Online

Bars, Brawls, and Backstreets: Art of the Ashcan School

Wednesdays, May 7 – May 28, 1 – 3pm

Examine this uniquely American period of modern art that focused on the shifting urban landscape of the early 20th century. Instructor: William Perthes

Close-Looking Immersion: Matisse’s <i>Blue Still Life</i>
Online / Barnes Method

Close-Looking Immersion: Matisse’s Blue Still Life

Thursday, May 15, 6 – 7:30pm

Our 90-minute immersions provide opportunities to study and discuss individual works. Instructor: Kaelin Jewell

Hidden in Plain Sight: The Aesthetics of Everyday Life
Online

Hidden in Plain Sight: The Aesthetics of Everyday Life

Mondays, June 2 – June 23, 2 – 4pm

This course uses the decorative arts collection at the Barnes as a jumping-off point to explore the artistic qualities of common objects. Instructors: Katherine Feldkamp, William Perthes

Heaven on Earth: The Art of the Byzantine Empire
Online

Heaven on Earth: The Art of the Byzantine Empire

Tuesdays, June 3 – June 24, 2 – 4pm

Dive into the visual culture of the Byzantine Empire, which was influenced by nearly a millennium of religious, social, and political upheaval. Instructor: Kaelin Jewell

Art and the First “Homosexuals”
Online

Art and the First “Homosexuals”

Tuesdays, June 3 – June 24, 6 – 8pm

This course surveys artistic representations of homosexual identity, from the early 1900s through the first decades of the 20th century. Instructor: Jonathan D. Katz

Close-Looking Immersion: Van Goyen’s <i>The Square Watch-Tower</i>
Online / Barnes Method

Close-Looking Immersion: Van Goyen’s The Square Watch-Tower

Wednesday, June 11, 12 – 1:30pm

Our 90-minute immersions provide opportunities to study and discuss individual works. Instructor: William Perthes

Gift a Barnes Class
Special Offer / Online / On-Site

Gift a Barnes Class

Ongoing

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