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Barnes Foundation

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Barnes Foundation

We offer fresh new ways to through a renowned collection, exhibitions + programs.
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The Barnes was founded in 1922 by Philadelphia art collector Dr. Albert C. Barnes, with the belief that learning with and through art is a powerful agent for personal growth and social progress. In the Barnes collection, artists such as Renoir and Picasso share space with remarkable African masks and Native American jewelry in ensembles that invite the viewer to draw their own connections across a

rtistic traditions and time for a singularly immersive experience. Since relocating to Center City in 2012, the Barnes has continued this visionary legacy. From thought-provoking exhibitions that champion artists across diasporas, identities, periods, and disciplines, to robust social and educational programs that bring together communities and learners of all ages, the Barnes sparks exploration of our world through art.

05/30/2026

Curious about learning at the Barnes?

This new mini on-site class series offers an introduction to the Barnes experience through close looking and guided conversation in the galleries. In this session, participants will spend an hour exploring the work of Henri Matisse while seated inside the collection itself.

Whether you’re new to the Barnes or simply looking for a fresh way to engage with art, this class is designed to be welcoming, conversational, and accessible.

Led by Kaelin Jewell, senior instructor in adult education at the Barnes, who has taught art history for more than 15 years.

Barnes Curious? Let’s Talk about Matisse
📆 Tuesday, July 7
🕒 6:30–7:30pm ET
📍 On-site
🎟 Register ➡ https://bit.ly/4tLZtml

🎨 Henri Matisse. The Music Lesson (detail), 1917. The Barnes Foundation.

05/26/2026

Now on view at the Barnes: “Education & Empowerment: Scholarship Recipients at the Barnes Foundation, Vol. Two: 1927–1952.”

This archival exhibition explores the stories of four individuals whose education was supported by the Barnes during the first half of the 20th century. Drawing from archival materials, the exhibition highlights the lives and achievements of Kenneth Goodman, Lillian G. Hall, Claude Clark, and Gwendolyn Bennett—figures whose work shaped music, education, literature, and the arts.

When the Barnes Foundation was chartered in 1922, democracy, experimentation, and education were central to its mission. One way Dr. Barnes pursued those ideals was through scholarships awarded to a diverse range of students across disciplines.

On view on the lower level of the Barnes and online through January 25, 2027.

“Education & Empowerment: Scholarship Recipients at the Barnes Foundation, Vol. Two: 1927–1952”
📆 On view through January 25, 2027
📍 Lower level + online
🎟 Included with admission ➡️ https://bit.ly/4dZD1RK

📷 Education & Empowerment, vol 2- Scholarship Recipients at the Barnes Foundation, 1927-1952. Installation view, 2026. The Barnes Foundation. Image © The Barnes Foundation.

05/24/2026

What made modern painting feel so radical at the turn of the 20th century?

In this on-site workshop, discover how French artists transformed painting between the 1870s and early 1900s through bold experimentation with color, materials, and technique. Through live demonstrations and close study of works in the Barnes collection, participants will explore the innovations behind impressionism, post-impressionism, fauvism, and early modernism.

The workshop is led by Al Gury, a painter known for his work in figure painting, landscape, still life, and portraiture.

Modern Painting Techniques in the Barnes Collection
📆 Tuesday, July 7
🕒 10am–4pm ET
📍 On-site
🎟 Register ➡ https://bit.ly/4nMYH79

🎨 Henri Matisse. Red Madras Headdress (detail), 1907. The Barnes Foundation.

05/23/2026

Join us on the West Terrace at the Barnes for Toddlerpalooza, a morning of fun activities and engaging performances for little ones and their families.

Featuring music, movement, art-making, and interactive experiences, Toddlerpalooza brings together local artists and community organizations for a playful morning designed especially for children ages 5 and under.

✨ Schedule of the day:
🎨 9:30am–12:30pm | Art & Learning Activities
Activities and play experiences with:
• Fleisher Art Memorial
• The Clay Studio
• Tree House Books
• Smith Memorial Playground & Playhouse
• LEMUS and Ivonne Pinto Garcia
• Peter Oravetz

🎶 10am–noon | Interactive Performances & Movement Featuring:
• Yoga 4 Philly — A limited number of mats will be available. We encourage you to bring your own!
• Thembi Palmer of Imagine More Story Adventures
• Let’s Jam, Baby! by Ninth Planet

Toddlerpalooza
📆 Sunday, May 31
🕒 9:30am–12:30pm ET
📍 the Barnes
🎟 Registration opens Monday, May 25 at 10am ➡️ https://bit.ly/4dEj3vL

Para ayuda en español, por favor contáctenos por correo electrónico a [email protected]

05/22/2026

Join us for June’s PECO Free First Sunday Family Day: “The Crown Is Yours” at the Barnes. Enjoy free admission, family-friendly activities, performances, and access to both the Barnes collection and the exhibition “Freedom Dreams.”

This month’s program features inspiring workshops and performances by Khalil Munir—an author, educator, tap dancer, and speaker whose motivational book series “The Crown Is Yours” follows Malik, a young protagonist navigating challenges inspired by Munir’s own experiences growing up with dyslexia. Through storytelling, movement, and music, Munir encourages audiences of all ages to embrace confidence, resilience, and self-expression.

✨ Schedule of the day:

🎨 10am–4pm | Art Activities
Fun art-making activities plus a scavenger hunt challenge through the galleries. Ages 2 and up.

📚 10:30–11am & 11:15–11:45am | Storytime
Interactive storytime with Thembi Palmer of Imagine More Story Adventures.

👞 1pm & 2:30pm | Performances & Workshops with Khalil Munir
Readings, music, tap dance, and interactive workshops inspired by “The Crown Is Yours.”

PECO Free First Sunday Family Day: “The Crown Is Yours”
📆 Sunday, June 7
🕒 10am–4pm ET
📍 the Barnes
🎟 Free admission | Registration opens Thursday, June 4 at 10am ➡️ https://bit.ly/48S6hHw
Supported by PECO

05/20/2026

When Dr. Barnes purchased “The Henriot Family” in 1935, it was described as a “study in gray and blue.”

Over time, the appearance of that palette began to shift. Layers of varnish aged and discolored, casting a dull, yellow tone across the surface and making the painting’s blues look green.

Through conservation work supported by the Bank of America Art Conservation Project, those layers were carefully removed. In doing so, our conservators were able to restore the painting’s original tonal harmony and bring its color relationships back into view. Now, the painting returns to how it was meant to be seen.

“The Henriot Family” will return to the Main Gallery very soon!

05/18/2026

This International Museum Day, we’re reflecting on the many ways museums create space for connection, learning, and discovery.

At the Barnes, that can mean spending time with a favorite painting, joining a conversation in the galleries, attending a performance, participating in a family program, or discovering something unexpected through close looking.

Dr. Barnes believed that art should be deeply engaged with and accessible as part of everyday life. That spirit continues today through our collection, exhibitions, educational programs, and community partnerships.

Thank you to everyone who continues to make the Barnes a place of curiosity, creativity, and shared experience. Plan your visit ➡️ https://bit.ly/43NYRD1

05/17/2026

Join us for a special installment of Barnes Cinema featuring a retrospective screening of works by artist and filmmaker Arthur Jafa, whose work is also featured in the exhibition “Freedom Dreams.”

Spanning narrative fiction, experimental documentary, and music video, the program highlights Jafa’s distinctive use of montage, rhythm, and emotional intensity through three films:

🎬 “Deshotten 1.0” (2013), directed by Arthur Jafa and Malik Hassan Sayeed
A young man reflects on the events leading to a violent nighttime encounter in New York City.

🎬 “Dreams Are Colder than Death” (2013), directed by Arthur Jafa
This experimental documentary considers the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech while asking larger questions about Blackness and the lived experiences of people of color in America.

🎬 “4:44” (2017), directed by Arthur Jafa, Elissa Blount Moorhead, and Malik Hassan Sayeed
Created alongside Jay-Z’s song “4:44,” the video combines archival and original footage to explore Black American life through image, music, and rhythm.

Following the screenings, artist, curator, and producer Elissa Blount Moorhead joins filmmaker Darol Olu Kae for a lecture and conversation about Jafa’s work and artistic practice.

This screening is part of a three-part series curated by Maori Karmael Holmes of BlackStar Projects in conjunction with “Freedom Dreams,” the Barnes exhibition exploring memory, history, and the Black radical imagination through film, video, and installation.

🎟 Tickets include admission to the Barnes collection and “Freedom Dreams.”

Barnes Cinema: Arthur Jafa Retrospective
📆 Saturday, June 13
🕒 1–4pm ET
📍 the Barnes
🎟 Register ➡ https://bit.ly/4wqldXo

📷: Still from Arthur Jafa’s Dreams Are Colder than Death (2013)

05/16/2026

Take time to slow down and engage with art in a new way.

Being Present with Art: Practicing Openness combines mindfulness-based stress reduction techniques with close looking and creative exercises in the Barnes galleries. This workshop includes guided meditation, drawing, and interactive group experiences designed to foster awareness, reflection, and connection.

Developed by Roksana Filipowska, the method has been shown to help reduce stress while increasing a sense of presence and belonging. No prior experience with art or meditation is required, and returning participants are encouraged to deepen their practice.

Being Present with Art: Practicing Openness
📆 Wednesday, June 17
🕒 1–3pm ET
📍 On-site
🎟 Register ➡ https://bit.ly/4utqZWe

🎨 Paul Cézanne. Gardener (detail), c. 1885 (possibly later). Barnes Foundation.

05/14/2026

Join us for June First Friday at the Barnes, featuring a special collaboration with the Philadelphia Latino Arts & Film Festival.

Enjoy an evening of art, live music, cocktails, and light fare, with performances by Carolina Oliveros, a Grammy-nominated artist from Barranquilla, Colombia. Known for blending traditional sounds with modern styles, her music is both rooted and expansive.

The evening also includes film screenings from this year’s PHLAFF:

• “Balada de Peces y Pájaros” (2025), directed by Juan José Arevalo & Anny Uribe
Carlina lives alone with her mother after losing her father in the Colombian armed conflict. Her world shifts when a mystical fish appears to guide her on an adventure.

• “The Farewell of the River” (2025), directed by Mateo Salas Puerta
A community of gold miners and fishermen learns to live with the consequences of a hydroelectric project that reshapes their environment.

• “The Tide Inside” (2026), directed by Lorena Villanueva
A Colombian teenage girl in Los Angeles begins to unravel as the threat of deportation creeps into her life.

First Friday includes access to the Barnes collection, with “Freedom Dreams” on view before and after performances.

First Friday: Carolina Oliveros & PHLAFF
📆 Friday, June 5
🕒 6–9pm ET
🎶 Live music: 6:30pm & 7:45pm
🎬 Film screenings: 7:30pm
🎟 Tickets ➡ https://bit.ly/4ncN4Gg

Address

2025 Benjamin Franklin Pkwy
Philadelphia, PA
19130

Opening Hours

Monday	11am - 5pm
Thursday	11am - 5pm
Friday	11am - 5pm
Saturday	11am - 5pm
Sunday	11am - 5pm

Telephone

+12152787000

Website

http://www.barnesfoundation.org/

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