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.
Research Notes:
June 2023
New theories and recent discoveries from the Barnes’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:
October 2023
New theories and recent discoveries from the Barnes’s curators, scholars, conservators, and archivists.
Research Notes: March 2024
New theories and recent discoveries from the Barnes’s curators, scholars, conservators, and archivists.
Research Notes:
June 2024
New theories and recent discoveries from the Barnes’s curators, scholars, conservators, and archivists.
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.
Register for Fall Classes—Now Open!
July Spotlight Tour: Portraits in the Barnes
Explore the incredible diversity of portraiture in the collection—from Hals to Van Gogh, Matisse, and Soutine.
Exhibition Tour: Matisse & Renoir: New Encounters at the Barnes
Get a fresh perspective on Henri Matisse and Pierre-Auguste Renoir in the Roberts Gallery.
Private Exhibition Tour: Matisse & Renoir: New Encounters at the Barnes
This tour is a private one-hour experience for up to seven guests.
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 seven guests.
Private Collection Tour: Favorite Artists
Choose your favorite artists in the collection for a private one-hour experience for up to eight guests.
Members-Only Exhibition Tour: Matisse & Renoir: New Encounters at the Barnes
Members are invited to exclusive tours of Matisse & Renoir: New Encounters at the Barnes in the Roberts Gallery.
Members-Only Online Talk: Cross-Collection Curiosities
This exclusive talk for Barnes members and Walters Art Museum members details unique objects in each collection.
August Spotlight Tour: Portraits in the Barnes
Explore the incredible diversity of portraiture in the collection—from Hals to Van Gogh, Matisse, and Soutine.
First Friday: Wayna & BlackStar Film Festival
Tonight’s performances by R&B and soul singer Wayna are presented in partnership with BlackStar.
PECO Free First Sunday Family Day: Beats with Heart
Join us for a celebration of music, with Steve Weiss Mallet Festival and art for the whole family.
Matisse and Renoir in a New Light
This one-day workshop is a special opportunity to view iconic paintings up close with Barnes educators. Instructors: Rob Jagiela, Kaelin Jewell, Martha Lucy
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
Members-Only Online Talk: Matisse and Renoir on the Riviera
Learn more about the fruitful relationship between Matisse and Renoir that began in 1917.
Members-Only Evening Tour: When Paintings Tell Stories
Members are invited to an exclusive evening tour exploring all the techniques artists use to create narratives.
Close-Looking Immersion: Titian’s Sleeping Shepherd
This new series of single-session immersions provides opportunities to study and discuss individual works. Instructor: Kaelin Jewell
Member Talk: William Perthes on Visions
Get a behind-the-scenes look at our new exhibition of work by artists from Mural Arts Philadelphia’s Guild program and SCI Phoenix.
Toddlerpalooza
Fun activities and musical performances for toddlers, with dance, reading, art, and more.
Members-Only Online Tour: Matisse & Renoir
Members are invited to an exclusive online tour of Matisse & Renoir: New Encounters at the Barnes.
The Lives and Afterlives of Monuments
Delve into the history of public monuments and their role in shaping cultural memory. Instructor: Paul Farber
Member Orientation
New members are invited to learn more about the perks of membership at the Barnes.
Members-Only Online Tour: Portraits in the Barnes
This exclusive online tour focuses on iconic and expressive portraits by Van Gogh, Matisse, Soutine, and more.
Art, Well-Being, and Medicine
New program! Our group workshops help medical students and healthcare professionals develop a more empathetic, humanistic approach to patient care.
September Spotlight Tour: The Impressionists: Rebels of the Art World
A closer look at Monet, Degas, Renoir, Pissarro, and other artists who led this modern art movement.
Online Member Orientation
New members are invited to join us online to learn more about the perks of membership at the Barnes.
Chromophilia: Modern Art and the Reinvention of Color
Take a closer look at how artists like Manet and Matisse redefined color and its use in modern art. Instructor: Paul Galvez
First Friday: April Varner
The New York–based jazz singer performs music from her new record.
Degas and Impressionism: 150 Years Later
An in-depth look at Degas’s technical innovations and his contribution to the impressionism movement. Instructor: Michelle Foa
The Traditions of Art
Learn how modern artists adapted earlier traditions in developing new visual languages. Instructor: Kaelin Jewell
The Elements of Art
Learn basic aesthetic principles and discover art’s communicative power by studying works in the Barnes collection. Instructor: William Perthes
Close-Looking Immersion: El Greco’s Apparition of the Virgin and Child to Saint Hyacinth
This new series of single-session immersions provides opportunities to study and discuss individual works. Instructor: Kaelin Jewell
Members-Only Online Tour: The Barnes Collection
This exclusive online tour offers members up-close views of favorite artworks.
The Elements of Art
Learn basic aesthetic principles and discover art’s communicative power by studying works in the Barnes collection. Instructor: Kaelin Jewell
Collection Concentration: Paul Cézanne
Study Cézanne’s influence on European modernism and trace the development of his visual language. Instructor: William Perthes
Painting and Poetry
This course looks at the connections between painting and poetry and how they communicate an artist’s philosophy, desires, or cultural orientation. Instructor: Laura J. Watts
Members-Only Online Talk: Bertrand Russell and the Barnes
Archivist Rob Jagiela provides an in-depth look at Russell’s association with Dr. Barnes and the foundation.
Members-Only Online Tour: The Impressionists: Rebels of the Art World
This exclusive online tour provides a closer look at Monet, Degas, Renoir, Pissarro, and other artists who led the impressionist movement.
Afternoon with an Ensemble: Room 14
Examine one of Dr. Barnes’s carefully crafted displays of paintings. Instructor: Kaelin Jewell
Modern Painters Take the Stage: Set and Costume Design in 20th-Century Theater
Explore groundbreaking collaborations that brought important visual artists to the stage. Instructor: Caterina Y. Pierre
Close-Looking Immersion: Maurice Brazil Prendergast’s Marblehead Harbor
This new series of single-session immersions provides opportunities to study and discuss individual works. Instructor: William Perthes
Looking and Listening: Albert Barnes’s Pairing of Art and Music in the Galleries
This new series explores the relationship between visual art and music. Today’s session re-creates some of Dr. Barnes’s favorite pairings. Instructor: Alison Boyd
2024 Barnes Art Ball
Join us for our yearly celebration of art, community, and philanthropy.
Builders, Heroes, and Unicorns: Exploring the History and Treasures of the Met Cloisters
Join the curator-in-charge of the Cloisters for a deep dive into the museum’s history, architecture, and collections. Instructor: C. Griffith Mann
Zooming In on Van Gogh
Delve into the life and work of one of the greatest, and most mythologized, painters of the modern era. Instructor: Martha Lucy
Workshop: Art, Well-Being, and Medicine
Learn how engaging with works of art can strengthen your skills as a healthcare provider. Instructor: William Perthes
Mickalene Thomas, Visual Pleasure and Arts Activism
Take a deeper dive into Thomas’s career and influence with the curator of All About Love. Instructor: Renée Mussai
Order and Invention
How does an idea become a finished work of art? This class explores some of the tools that aid artists in making images. Instructor: Michael Williamson
Errand into the Maze: The Masterpiece and the Ensemble
Consider the reciprocal dialogues between works within Barnes ensembles while seeking a deeper understanding of the collection as a whole. Instructor: Rika Burnham
Size Does Matter: A History of Miniatures in Art
What makes miniatures so fascinating? And what compels artists to work on such a tiny scale? This course shines a spotlight on the art and history of miniatures. Instructor: Julie Steiner
Close-Looking Immersion: Picasso’s Woman Seated on Striped Floor
This new series of single-session immersions provides opportunities to study and discuss individual works. Instructor: Naina Saligram
Pillars of the Collection
Spend time in the galleries examining some of the most important and best-loved art and artists in the collection. Instructors: Kaelin Jewell, William Perthes
Close-Looking Immersion: Gauguin’s Haere Pape
This new series of single-session immersions provides opportunities to study and discuss individual works. Instructor: Naina Saligram
Looking and Listening: Picasso and the Art of Composing
This new series explores the relationship between visual art and music. Today’s session looks at works by Picasso that have been called “visual music.” Instructors: Alison Boyd, Naina Saligram
Horticulture Certificate Program
Our three-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.
Gift a Barnes Class
Give the gift of lifelong learning with art history classes taught by Barnes experts.