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This Week

The Barnes Collection
Permanent

The Barnes Collection

Ongoing

See art differently. Explore paintings by Renoir, Cézanne, Matisse, Picasso, Modigliani, Van Gogh, and other artists beside African sculpture, metalwork, and decorative arts. Try our mobile guide!

Education & Empowerment: Scholarship Recipients at the Barnes Foundation, 1927–1949
Archives Exhibition

Education & Empowerment: Scholarship Recipients at the Barnes Foundation, 1927–1949

Until August 15, 2024

Explore the experiences of four scholars whose research was supported by the Barnes Foundation—from art history to medicine.

Alexey Brodovitch: Astonish Me
Current Exhibition

Alexey Brodovitch: Astonish Me

Until May 19, 2024

Discover the influential figure who shaped the photography and graphic design of the 20th century.

Upcoming

Matisse & Renoir: New Encounters at the Barnes
Upcoming Exhibition

Matisse & Renoir: New Encounters at the Barnes

June 23 – September 8, 2024

Experience a fresh perspective on two important modern painters.

Mickalene Thomas:<br>All About Love
Upcoming Exhibition

Mickalene Thomas:
All About Love

October 20, 2024 – January 12, 2025

The first major international tour on Thomas’s pioneering work.

Past Exhibitions

Marie Laurencin: Sapphic Paris
Exhibition

Marie Laurencin: Sapphic Paris

October 22, 2023 – January 21, 2024

Picturing a modern world of women among women.

Through My I: Art from SCI: Phoenix
EXHIBITION

Through My I: Art from SCI: Phoenix

July 14 – August 21, 2023

Works created by artists at State Correctional Institute: Phoenix.

William Edmondson: <br>A Monumental Vision
EXHIBITION

William Edmondson:
A Monumental Vision

June 25 – September 10, 2023

Experience the enduring relevance of this self-taught American sculptor.

Sue Williamson & Lebohang Kganye: Tell Me What You Remember
EXHIBITION

Sue Williamson & Lebohang Kganye: Tell Me What You Remember

March 5 – May 21, 2023

A cross-generational dialogue featuring two of South Africa’s most acclaimed contemporary artists.

Modigliani Up Close
EXHIBITION

Modigliani Up Close

October 16, 2022 – January 29, 2023

An in-depth exploration of how the iconic artist created his works over the course of his career.

Matisse, Dr. Barnes, and <i>The Dance</i>
Archives Exhibition

Matisse, Dr. Barnes, and The Dance

September 22, 2022 – August 14, 2023

Historic photographs and letters reveal the story behind the monumental mural.

Faces of Resilience
EXHIBITION

Faces of Resilience

July 8 – August 22, 2022

Works created by artists from Mural Arts’ Guild program and SCI: Phoenix.

Isaac Julien: Once Again . . . (Statues Never Die)
EXHIBITION

Isaac Julien: Once Again . . . (Statues Never Die)

June 19 – September 4, 2022

An immersive film installation exploring the relationship between Dr. Albert C. Barnes and famed philosopher and cultural critic Alain Locke.

Water, Wind, Breath: Southwest Native Art in Community
Exhibition

Water, Wind, Breath: Southwest Native Art in Community

February 20 – May 15, 2022

This major exhibition explores Pueblo and Navajo pottery, textiles, and jewelry as living traditions.

Suzanne Valadon: Model, Painter, Rebel
Exhibition

Suzanne Valadon: Model, Painter, Rebel

September 26, 2021 – January 9, 2022

Groundbreaking paintings by the French artist.

Soutine / de Kooning<br>Conversations in Paint
Exhibition

Soutine / de Kooning
Conversations in Paint

March 7 – August 8, 2021

A visual dialogue between the highly individual universes of two iconic artists.

The Art in Music
Archives Exhibition

The Art in Music

November 22, 2020 – October 18, 2021

Archival materials reveal how African American spirituals and symphonic performances influenced Dr. Barnes's approach to education.

Elijah Pierce’s America
Exhibition

Elijah Pierce’s America

September 27, 2020 – January 18, 2021

See life, faith, and politics through the eyes of a virtuoso woodcarver.

Marie Cuttoli: <br> The Modern Thread from Miró to Man&nbsp;Ray
EXHIBITION

Marie Cuttoli:
The Modern Thread from Miró to Man Ray

February 23 – August 23, 2020

How one visionary woman revived the art of tapestry weaving for the modern era.

30 Americans
Exhibition

30 Americans

October 27, 2019 – January 12, 2020

Painting, sculpture, and photography by influential contemporary African American artists.

Breaking Barriers: Art as Social Justice
Exhibition

Breaking Barriers: Art as Social Justice

July 11 – August 8, 2019

Works created by artists from Mural Arts’ Guild program and SCI: Phoenix.

Our Mission
Archives Exhibition

Our Mission

July 2 – December 2, 2019

Archival materials shed light on Dr. Barnes's arts-focused approach to education.

I Do Not Know What It Is I Am Like: The Art of Bill Viola
Exhibition

I Do Not Know What It Is I Am Like: The Art of Bill Viola

June 30 – September 15, 2019

A selection of genre-defying works by the renowned video artist.

From Today, Painting Is Dead: Early Photography in Britain and France
Exhibition

From Today, Painting Is Dead: Early Photography in Britain and France

February 24 – May 12, 2019

Featuring nearly 250 iconic pictures created between the 1840s and 1880s.

Pat Steir <br> Silent Secret Waterfalls: <br>The Barnes Series
EXHIBITION

Pat Steir
Silent Secret Waterfalls:
The Barnes Series

January 12 – November 17, 2019

An installation of 11 new paintings by the American artist.

Shadow on Her Sunshine: Albert Barnes and Georgia O’Keeffe
Archives Exhibition

Shadow on Her Sunshine: Albert Barnes and Georgia O’Keeffe

November 7, 2018 – July 2, 2019

A look at the fascinating correspondence between Albert Barnes and Georgia O’Keeffe.

Berthe Morisot: <br>Woman Impressionist
Exhibition

Berthe Morisot:
Woman Impressionist

October 21, 2018 – January 14, 2019

The exceptional path of a woman who defied the social norms of her time to join the Parisian avant-garde.

Philadelphia Museum of Dance
EXHIBITION

Philadelphia Museum of Dance

October 6, 2018

A one-day exhibition of live dance at the Barnes Foundation

Let's Connect: Philly's Artists Take on the Barnes
exhibition

Let's Connect: Philly's Artists Take on the Barnes

May 21 – June 4, 2018

More than 300 artists from Philadelphia submitted works inspired by pieces in the Barnes collection.

Renoir: Father and Son / Painting and Cinema
EXHIBITION

Renoir: Father and Son / Painting and Cinema

May 6 – September 3, 2018

Exploring the works of acclaimed director Jean Renoir and the influence of his father, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, on his art and life.

Marks of Change
Exhibition

Marks of Change

April 5 – May 6, 2018
Emerging artists in this exhibition are members of the Guild, part of Mural Arts Philadelphia's Restorative Justice program.
Kiefer Rodin
EXHIBITION

Kiefer Rodin

November 17, 2017 – March 12, 2018

Works by renowned contemporary artist Anselm Kiefer, created in response to sculptures and drawings by Auguste Rodin.

Paul Cret and the Barnes Foundation
Archives Exhibition

Paul Cret and the Barnes Foundation

October 24, 2017 – November 7, 2018

The original gallery building in Merion, PA, was designed by French architect Paul Philippe Cret—who also contributed to the plan for Philadelphia’s Benjamin Franklin Parkway.

Mohamed Bourouissa: Urban Riders
Exhibition

Mohamed Bourouissa: Urban Riders

June 30 – October 2, 2017

Drawings, photos, costumes, sculptures, and more inspired by the artist’s collaboration with a community of North Philadelphia horsemen.

Mustard-Plaster and Flossie Lee: Dr. Barnes and His Hunters
Archives Exhibition

Mustard-Plaster and Flossie Lee: Dr. Barnes and His Hunters

June 13 – October 24, 2017

Dr. and Mrs. Barnes enjoyed their newfound prosperity by building a country life, which included the purchase of thoroughbred hunting horses.

Person of the Crowd: The Contemporary Art of Flânerie
EXHIBITION

Person of the Crowd: The Contemporary Art of Flânerie

February 25 – May 22, 2017

Artists take to the street to spy, scavenge, and make provocative spectacles of themselves to speak to issues as diverse as gender politics and homelessness.

Artist Project: Andrea Hornick: Unbounded Histories
EXHIBITION

Artist Project: Andrea Hornick: Unbounded Histories

January 6 – May 22, 2017

Hornick’s sound intervention in the Collection Gallery comprises a string of poems responding to specific works at the Barnes.

Cher Matisse
Archives Exhibition

Cher Matisse

October 11, 2016 – June 12, 2017

Henri Matisse first visited the Barnes Foundation in the fall of 1930. Two months later, Dr. Barnes commissioned The Dance.

Live and Life Will Give You Pictures: Masterworks of French Photography, 1890–1950​
EXHIBITION

Live and Life Will Give You Pictures: Masterworks of French Photography, 1890–1950​

October 8, 2016 – January 9, 2017

In the second half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th, photographers and painters traded aesthetic ideas.

Nari Ward: Sun Splashed
EXHIBITION

Nari Ward: Sun Splashed

June 24 – August 22, 2016

The Barnes Foundation presents Sun Splashed, a midcareer survey of the found-object assemblage art of Nari Ward.

Picasso: The Great War, Experimentation and Change
EXHIBITION

Picasso: The Great War, Experimentation and Change

February 21 – May 9, 2016

This exhibition looks at the dramatic fluctuations in Picasso’s style during the period surrounding the First World War, from 1912 to 1924.

In Search of Iron
Archives Exhibition

In Search of Iron

October 27, 2015 – March 15, 2016

Dr. Barnes traveled through Europe and North America to gather wrought iron for his collection.

Ellen Harvey: Metal Painting
EXHIBITION

Ellen Harvey: Metal Painting

September 19, 2015 – January 4, 2016

A site-specific work engaging with the iconoclastic placement of the Foundation’s ironwork in the context of its holding of paintings.

Strength and Splendor: Wrought Iron from the Musée le Secq des Tournelles, Rouen
EXHIBITION

Strength and Splendor: Wrought Iron from the Musée le Secq des Tournelles, Rouen

September 19, 2015 – January 4, 2016

Exploring the fabrication, function, and intricate ornamentation of some 150 masterworks from the Musée Le Secq des Tournelles, Rouen.

Laura’s Library
Archives Exhibition

Laura’s Library

June 10 – March 15, 2015

A look at Laura Barnes’s books illuminates her horticultural interests and the relationships she cultivated with some of their authors.

Mark Dion, Judy Pfaff, Fred Wilson: The Order of Things
EXHIBITION

Mark Dion, Judy Pfaff, Fred Wilson: The Order of Things

May 16 – August 3, 2015

The Order of Things presented three large-scale installations by internationally renowned artists Mark Dion, Judy Pfaff, and Fred Wilson.

Cézanne Uncovered: Two Sketches Revealed Through Conservation
EXHIBITION

Cézanne Uncovered: Two Sketches Revealed Through Conservation

April 10 – May 18, 2015

During a conservation treatment, the Barnes Foundation discovered two unfinished sketches—one graphite and one watercolor—on the reverse sides of two watercolors by Cézanne.

The Arboretum School of the Barnes Foundation
Archives Exhibition

The Arboretum School of the Barnes Foundation

March 31 – October 27, 2015

A detailed look at the history of the Barnes’s horticulture program.

Dr. Barnes and the Great War
Archives Exhibition

Dr. Barnes and the Great War

March 15, 2015 – September 6, 2016

During the years of the First World War, Dr. Barnes strengthened his relationship with philosopher John Dewey and collector and critic Leo Stein.

William J. Glackens: Artist and Friend
Archives Exhibition

William J. Glackens: Artist and Friend

November 8, 2014 – February 16, 2015

A look at the enduring friendship of Albert C. Barnes and William J. Glackens, who met in 1885 at Philadelphia’s Central High School.

William Glackens
EXHIBITION

William Glackens

November 8, 2014 – February 2, 2015

The first comprehensive survey of William Glackens in nearly half a century, this exhibition included nearly 90 major paintings and works on paper.

The World Is an Apple: The Still Lifes of Paul Cézanne
EXHIBITION

The World Is an Apple: The Still Lifes of Paul Cézanne

June 22 – September 22, 2014

A thematic and chronological exhibition of Cézanne’s still-life painting, showing how the “Master of Aix” recast the genre and set it on a new course.

Yinka Shonibare MBE: Magic Ladders
EXHIBITION

Yinka Shonibare MBE: Magic Ladders

January 23 – April 20, 2014
A British artist of Nigerian descent, Yinka Shonibare creates dramatic, playful work that cites the artistic and intellectual history of Europe.
Ellsworth Kelly: Sculpture on the Wall
EXHIBITION

Ellsworth Kelly: Sculpture on the Wall

May 4 – September 2, 2013

An exhibition demonstrating the artist’s interest in the intersection of art and architecture, color and form, figure and ground.

Ensemble: Albert C. Barnes and the Experiment in Education
EXHIBITION

Ensemble: Albert C. Barnes and the Experiment in Education

May 19, 2012 – March 18, 2013

Between 1912 and 1951, Dr. Albert C. Barnes assembled one of the world’s most important holdings of post-impressionist and early modernist art.

Great French Paintings from the Barnes Foundation: Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, and Early Modern
EXHIBITION

Great French Paintings from the Barnes Foundation: Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, and Early Modern

May 2, 1993 – October 22, 1995

While the Merion galleries were under renovation in the 1990s, selected paintings from the Barnes collection went on an international tour.