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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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The Art of Looking: An Introduction to the Barnes Method
Barnes Method / On Demand

The Art of Looking: An Introduction to the Barnes Method

Self-Paced Classes

This interactive online course will teach you the basics of the Barnes Method of studying art, at your own pace.

The Art of Display: Exploring the Barnes Ensembles
Barnes Method / On Demand

The Art of Display: Exploring the Barnes Ensembles

Self-Paced Classes

Uncover connections hidden in plain sight by studying Dr. Barnes’s enigmatic displays of art at your own pace.

Exhibition Seminar: <i>From Paris to Provence</i>
Workshops / On-Site / Exhibition-Related

Exhibition Seminar: From Paris to Provence

Tuesday, July 15
10am – noon or 2 – 4pm

Don’t miss this rare opportunity to study Barnes paintings in the Roberts Gallery, make new connections between works, and consider their historical context. Instructor: Martha Lucy

Modernist Painting Comes to America: Alfred Stieglitz and His Circle
Workshops / Online

Modernist Painting Comes to America: Alfred Stieglitz and His Circle

Wednesday, July 16, 10am – 4pm

This workshop examines the impact of Stieglitz and his circle of artists—including Georgia O’Keeffe and Marsden Hartley—on American art. Instructor: Laura Watts

Pillars of the Collection
Workshops / Online

Pillars of the Collection

Wednesday, July 23, 10am – 4pm

An in-depth exploration of iconic paintings by Matisse, Renoir, Cézanne, Picasso, Van Gogh, and other artists in the collection. Instructor: Kaelin Jewell

Exhibition Seminar: <i>From Paris to Provence</i>
Workshops / On-Site / Exhibition-Related

Exhibition Seminar: From Paris to Provence

Tuesday, August 12
10am – noon or 2 – 4pm

Don’t miss this rare opportunity to study Barnes paintings in the Roberts Gallery, make new connections between works, and consider their historical context. Instructor: Martha Lucy

Art and Restorative Justice: <i>Where I'm From</i>
Workshops / On-Site

Art and Restorative Justice: Where I'm From

Wednesday, August 13, 10am – 4pm

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

A Brief History of the Paris Salon, 1795–1890
Workshops / Online

A Brief History of the Paris Salon, 1795–1890

Tuesday, August 19, 10am – 4pm

This workshop revisits the Paris Salon—its rules, competitions, and rejections—and the backlash against it led by avant-garde artists. Instructor: Caterina Y. Pierre

Close-Looking Immersion: Renoir’s <i>Bathers in the Forest</i>
Online / Barnes Method

Close-Looking Immersion: Renoir’s Bathers in the Forest

Wednesday, August 20, 12 – 1:30pm

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

The Elements of Art
On-Site / Barnes Method

The Elements of Art

Tuesdays, September 2 – December 16, 1:30 – 4:30pm

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

Collection Concentration: Dawn of Modernism in Europe and the US
On-Site / Barnes Method

Collection Concentration: Dawn of Modernism in Europe and the US

Tuesdays, September 2 – December 16, 6 – 9pm

Discover how modernism became both a shared language and a deeply personal mode of expression. Instructor: William Perthes

The Traditions of Art
Online / Barnes Method

The Traditions of Art

Thursdays, September 4 – December 18, 1 – 4pm

Explore how artists engage with and transform artistic traditions. Instructor: William Perthes

Collection Concentration: Matisse, A Global Perspective
Online / Barnes Method

Collection Concentration: Matisse, A Global Perspective

Thursdays, September 4 – December 18, 6 – 9pm

Learn how Matisse pulled from multiple global traditions to create a radical new visual language. Instructor: Kaelin Jewell

Cézanne’s Philosophy
Online

Cézanne’s Philosophy

Tuesdays, September 9 – October 7, 6 – 8pm

Explore how Cézanne’s paintings engage fundamental questions about being, time, and perception—no philosophy background needed. Instructor: Naina Saligram

A Story of Early American Painting from the Winterthur Museum
Online

A Story of Early American Painting from the Winterthur Museum

Fridays, September 12 – October 3, 1 – 3pm

Learn more about the collections at Winterthur and what they tell us about early American culture. Instructor: Kedra Kearis

Close-Looking Immersion: Seurat’s <i>Models</i>
Online / Barnes Method

Close-Looking Immersion: Seurat’s Models

Wednesday, September 17, 6 – 7pm

Get to know one of the iconic paintings in our collection through extended close looking and guided discussion. Instructor: Naina Saligram

Sound and Color: Pairing Music and Paintings in the Barnes Galleries
On-Site

Sound and Color: Pairing Music and Paintings in the Barnes Galleries

Monday, September 29, 6 – 8pm

Join us in the Barnes collection as we explore how different pieces of music can change how we see a work of art. Instructor: Alison Boyd

Modernism Across Media: Joyce, Stravinsky, Picasso
Online

Modernism Across Media: Joyce, Stravinsky, Picasso

Mondays, October 6 – October 27, 6 – 8pm

Explore the connections between three key figures in early 20th-century modernism. Instructors: Naina Saligram, Paul Saint-Amour, Mimi Stillman

Afternoon with an Ensemble: Room 2
On-Site / Barnes Method

Afternoon with an Ensemble: Room 2

Wednesday, October 8, 2 – 4pm

Step into the galleries and slow down with this focused study. Instructor: Deborah Krupp

Infernal Visions: Ideas of Hell in the History of Art
Online

Infernal Visions: Ideas of Hell in the History of Art

Wednesdays, October 8 – October 29, 6 – 8pm

Learn how different cultures have visualized the underworld. Instructor: Antongiulio Sorgini

Courbet Reconsidered
Online

Courbet Reconsidered

Fridays, October 10 – October 31, 1 – 3pm

Learn more about Gustave Courbet and his place in the history of modern art. Instructor: Paul Galvez

Close-Looking Immersion: Soutine’s <i>Flayed Rabbit</i>
Online / Barnes Method

Close-Looking Immersion: Soutine’s Flayed Rabbit

Wednesday, October 15, 6 – 7pm

Spend an hour immersed in one of the most viscerally affecting paintings in our collection. Instructor: Kaelin Jewell

Impressionism and the Music of Claude Debussy and His Contemporaries
Online

Impressionism and the Music of Claude Debussy and His Contemporaries

Mondays, November 3 – November 24, 1 – 3pm

Explore the connections between impressionism in painting and music. Instructor: Mimi Stillman

Echoes in Clay and Code: Native American Art across Generations
Online

Echoes in Clay and Code: Native American Art across Generations

Mondays, November 3 – November 24, 6 – 8pm

From ancestral pottery to contemporary digital media, explore Native art as a living, changing cultural expression. Instructor: Dakota H. Stevens

Primitivism at the Barnes Foundation and Beyond
Online

Primitivism at the Barnes Foundation and Beyond

Fridays, November 7 – December 5, 2 – 4pm

Learn about the concept of primitivism and its enormous role in modern European and American art. Instructor: Alison Boyd

Close-Looking Immersion: Persian Manuscript <i>Rustam Lifts Qanun from His Horse</i>
Online / Barnes Method

Close-Looking Immersion: Persian Manuscript Rustam Lifts Qanun from His Horse

Wednesday, November 12, 6 – 7pm

Immerse yourself in a tiny 16th-century Persian manuscript from the Barnes collection. Instructor: Naina Saligram

Bon Appétit! Food and Art in 18th- and 19th-Century France
Online

Bon Appétit! Food and Art in 18th- and 19th-Century France

Wednesdays, November 12 – December 10, 6 – 8pm

Explore the history of French food culture and how it shows up in modern paintings. Instructor: Christa DiMarco

Exhibition Seminar: <i>Henri Rousseau: A Painter’s Secrets</i>
Workshops / On-Site / Exhibition-Related

Exhibition Seminar: Henri Rousseau: A Painter’s Secrets

Tuesday, November 18
10 am–noon or 2–4 pm

Explore the dreamlike imagery of Henri Rousseau face-to-face in our exhibition gallery. Instructor: Martha Lucy

Pillars of the Collection
On-Site / Barnes Method

Pillars of the Collection

Wednesday, December 3, 10am – 4pm

Spend the day exploring iconic works in the Barnes collection and the artists that helped shape Dr. Barnes’s vision. Instructor: Naina Saligram

Workshop: Art, Well-Being, and Medicine
Workshops / On-Site / Barnes Method

Workshop: Art, Well-Being, and Medicine

Wednesday, December 3, 6 – 8pm

Discover how engaging with art can enhance perception, empathy, and communication in healthcare. Instructor: William Perthes

Exhibition Seminar: <i> Henri Rousseau: A Painter’s Secrets </i>
Workshops / On-Site / Exhibition-Related

Exhibition Seminar: Henri Rousseau: A Painter’s Secrets

Tuesday, December 9
10 am–noon or 2–4 pm

Explore the dreamlike imagery of Henri Rousseau face-to-face in our exhibition gallery. Instructor: Martha Lucy

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

Close-Looking Immersion: Cézanne’s Portrait of a Woman

Wednesday, December 10, 6 – 7pm

Spend an hour with Cézanne’s haunting Portrait of a Woman. Instructor: William Perthes

Saint Joseph’s University Museum Education Graduate Program
Professional Workshops & Certificate Programs

Saint Joseph’s University Museum Education Graduate Program

Ongoing

A collaboration between the Barnes and SJU, this new online program prepares museum educators to work in public and private institutions, including art, history, and science museums.

Horticulture Certificate Program
Professional Workshops & Certificate Programs

Horticulture Certificate Program

Ongoing

Our two-year certificate program covers horticultural science, methods, and design.

The Barnes–de Mazia Certificate Program
Professional Workshops & Certificate Programs

The Barnes–de Mazia Certificate Program

Ongoing

This special track offers an immersion in the Barnes Method and an introduction to other interpretive approaches.

Art, Well-Being, and Medicine
Professional Workshops & Certificate Programs

Art, Well-Being, and Medicine

Professional Development Workshops for Groups

Our group workshops help medical students and healthcare professionals develop a more empathetic, humanistic approach to patient care.

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.