The Barnes Foundation, Merion, Pennsylvania (detail), c. 1924. Photoprint of a drawing by Paul Philippe Cret. Photograph Collection, Barnes Foundation Archives
About the Exhibition
In 1922, Albert C. Barnes contracted French architect Paul Philippe Cret to design a gallery and residence in Merion, Pennsylvania. Featured in this exhibit are selected letters between the two men plus Cret’s vision, plans, and sketches for the buildings that officially became the Barnes Foundation in 1925. Since Cret was also one of the contributors to the design of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, the site of the new Barnes new building, the exhibit also celebrates the Parkway’s centennial year.