Take a Class
Study art history and art appreciation at the Barnes, a leader in art education for nearly 100 years. We offer a full array of online classes, with new courses curated monthly. Need-based scholarships available. Online classes make great gifts.
Art Education at the Barnes
Learn about art and the Barnes collection from home with online courses.
The Barnes-de Mazia Certificate Program
This special track offers an immersion in the Barnes method and an introduction to other interpretive approaches.
Members-Only Online Talks
Members can learn more about favorite works or artists in the collection, discover archival treasures, and see conservation practices behind the scenes.
Private Virtual Tours
Visit the Barnes without leaving home! Book a custom online tour for your friends, family, or colleagues
Give the Gift of a Barnes Class
Give the gift of lifelong learning with online art history classes taught by Barnes experts.
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 three guests.
Barnes from Home: Family Art Time
Kids and their adults can create art and learn from artists and objects in the Barnes collection.
Members-Only Online Tours: The Barnes Collection
A free virtual tour of the collection for members. See details of favorite artworks like never before.
PECO Free First Sunday Family Day
We’re offering family activities to enjoy from home all month long. Explore the art of Henri Rousseau, create artwork, and enjoy a creative reflection on breakfast. Until March 6.
Graduate Student Symposium on the History of Art—Keynote Lecture
Jonathan D. Katz, a founding figure in queer art history, speaks on the relationship between the art world and the AIDS epidemic.
Graduate Student Symposium on the History of Art—Day One
Discover current research in art history through online presentations and moderated discussions.
Curatorial Preview: Soutine / de Kooning
Join the co-curator of our latest special exhibition for a discussion about the visual relationship between the two highly influential artists.
Online Class: Abstract Expressionism: de Kooning to Mitchell
Survey important artists and works from this American art movement ahead of our spring exhibition Soutine / de Kooning.
Member Previews: Soutine / de Kooning
As a member, see the exhibition before the public opening.
Graduate Student Symposium on the History of Art—Day Two
Discover current research in art history through online presentations and moderated discussions.
Online Class: The Art and Architecture of Ancient Egypt
Explore major monuments of architecture, sculpture, and painting from the predynastic period through the New Kingdom.
PECO Free First Sunday Family Day
Welcome back, Barnes families! We’re once again offering free access to the collection and the new Soutine / de Kooning exhibition—plus artful activities to enjoy from home.
Online Class: On the Run: European Artists/Intellectuals Flee WWII
Examine key artists and intellectuals who fled Europe as well as the work of those who stayed behind.
Online Class: The Surrealist Revolution
Trace the surrealist movement from formal inception in 1924 through its international expansion in the 1930s.
Member Morning
Members are invited to join Barnes staff online for a chat about membership at the Foundation and benefits, followed by a virtual docent tour of the collection.
Online Class: A Jewish Perspective: Pissarro, Modigliani, Soutine & Pascin
These four painters were central to the avant-garde scene in early 20th-century Paris. How did their faith influence their outlook and their artwork?
Online Class: Introduction to Contemporary Art: Critical Explorations
What makes art “contemporary”? How do we decide what’s “good” in the art of our time? The answers to these questions are complex—much like contemporary art itself.
Private Tours: Soutine / de Kooning
Tour our newest exhibition and see the visual relationship between two modern masters. This tour is a private one-hour experience for you and up to four guests.
Online Talk: Brandon Truett on Dr. Barnes and Joan Miró in the 1930s
How can art resist facism? Learn how Dr. Barnes's interest in the Spanish Civil War led to the purchase of two politically charged paintings by Miró.
Members-Only Online Tours: Soutine / de Kooning
A free online tour of the special exhibition on the visual relationship between two important figures of 20th century art.
Member Talk: Soutine, Rembrandt, and Chardin
Barnes Art Team member Tamara Mason provides a closer look at two of Chaïm Soutine’s artistic influences.
Members-Only Art Team Morning
Each month, members of our Art Team—professional art historians, artists, and educators—present their ongoing research on the collection to members.
Online Class: The Baroque Curve: 17th-Century European Architecture
Explore some of the major architectural monuments of 17th-century Rome, Paris, Versailles, London, and Vienna.
Online Class: Willem de Kooning in Context
See how de Kooning shaped the iconic abstract expressionists of the New York School and continued to inspire subsequent generations.
Online Class: Giorgio de Chirico and the Myth of Modernity
Learn how the influential modernist grappled with the connections between art and philosophy throughout his career.
Online Class: The Arts of Medieval Islam
Get introduced to the rich artistic traditions and architectural achievements of Islamic culture throughout the medieval period.
Online Class: Conservation Challenges: Abstract Expressionism
The abstract expressionists experimented with unconventional materials and techniques—learn how these works are treated and preserved from professional conservators.
Online Class: African Art in the Barnes Foundation: Context and Meanings
Learn the traditional meanings and uses of the African sculpture collected by Dr. Albert C. Barnes while considering the impact of colonialism and imperialism
Facing Change: White-Adjacent
In our new series, artists, scholars, and community activists explore issues related to race in America.
Online Class: Dutch Art in the Age of Rembrandt
During the golden age of the Dutch Republic artists like Rembrandt, Hals, and Vermeer defined the rich visual culture of the 17th century.
Online Class: Manet and Modern Paris
This class will place Édouard Manet’s influential paintings within the context of modern Paris, the French Empire, and the city’s increasingly global reputation.
Online Class: Soutine’s Technique: A Close Look
Focus on the working methods of Chaïm Soutine in this course co-taught by an art historian and conservator.
Online Class: Decoding Barnes’s Ensembles
Get a better understanding of why Dr. Albert Barnes arranged his collection in such an unconventional way.
Online Class: Impressionism and Japonisme
See the extraordinary impact Japanese art and design had on French visual culture—impressionist painting in particular.
Online Class: When the Camera Was New: 19th-Century Photography
Focus on the technological innovations of some of the first photographers and delve into early debates around the purpose and potential of the new medium.
Online Class: Ride or Die: The Black Cowboy and Urban Rider in Contemporary Art
Rediscover the timeless archetypes of the Cowboy and the Equestrian through the lens of the African diaspora and contemporary art.
Horticulture Certificate Program
Our three-year certificate program covers horticultural science, methods, and design.