Barnes Foundation

What made Montmartre one of the most influential neighborhoods in the history of art?

At the turn of the 20th century, this Parisian district was known for its bohemian culture, revolutionary politics, and vibrant cafés and cabarets. Writers, musicians, and artists flocked there in search of inspiration, helping transform Montmartre into a center of artistic experimentation and discovery.

Join us for June’s Spotlight Tour and learn about the remarkable artists who called Montmartre home during the Belle Époque, including Degas, Picasso, Renoir, Van Gogh, and Toulouse-Lautrec. Explore how their creativity shaped not only a neighborhood, but the course of modern art itself.

June Spotlight Tour: “Wicked Paris: The Lure of Montmartre”
📆 Thursday–Monday
🕒 1pm
📍 On-site
🎟 Register ➡ https://bit.ly/3RzQ1Fb

🎨 Pablo Picasso. At the Theater (The Courtesan), 1901. The Barnes Foundation, BF177. © 2026 Estate of Pablo Picasso / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.

What can an hour of close observation reveal about a single work of art?

In this online immersion, participants will spend time with Charles Demuth’s “Piano Mover’s Holiday”, exploring the artist’s precisionist technique and the layered meanings within his abstracted cityscape. Using the Barnes’s digital learning platform, the class will move through details, composition, and visual relationships in a guided close-looking experience.

Designed for both seasoned museumgoers and first-time learners, this session offers a thoughtful and interactive way to deepen perceptual skills through sustained observation.

Led by Kaelin Jewell, senior instructor in adult education at the Barnes.

Close-Looking Immersion: Demuth’s “Piano Mover’s Holiday”
📆 Monday, July 13
🕒 6–7pm ET
📍 Online
🎟 Register ➡ https://bit.ly/49wEv3r

🎨 Charles Demuth. Piano Mover's Holiday (detail), 1919. The Barnes Foundation.

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.

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.

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.

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]

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

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!

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