The Barnes Foundation - Philadelphia PA

Wikimedia Commons/Thekohser

AAA Editor Notes

The Barnes Foundation, 2025 Benjamin Franklin Pkwy. within Fairmount Park, displays an extensive collection of early Impressionist, Post-Impressionist and Early Modern paintings, that includes 181 works by Pierre Auguste Renoir, 69 by Paul Cézanne, 59 by Henri Matisse and 46 by Pablo Picasso. Other artists represented include Edgar Degas, Amedeo Modigliani, Claude Monet, Georges Seurat and Vincent Van Gogh. Native American pottery, Pennsylvania German decorative furniture, sculpture, ceramics and metalwork are displayed. Other noted collections include art from Africa, Central America, China, Greece and Rome.

What differentiates this art collection from most others is the way the pieces are displayed; each room displays American and European furniture and metalwork in ways that enhance and accentuate characteristics of the artworks. Therefore, don't be surprised to see painting masterpieces next to an antique tool or a chest from Pennsylvania Dutch country. The presentation is unconventional—exactly the way founder Dr. Albert C. Barnes wanted it to be.

Guided tours are available. Food is available. Time: Allow 1 hour, 30 minutes minimum.

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Admission

$25; $23 (ages 65+); $5 (ages 13-18 and college students with ID); free (active military with ID and family, Memorial Day-Labor Day). Guided 1-hour tour $45; 90-minute tour $50. First Friday events $28; $10 (students with ID). Reservations are required for tours. Phone ahead to confirm rates.

Parking

$12 for up to 4 hours. Valet parking available for additional fee.

Hours

Wed.-Mon. 11-5 (also 6-9 p.m. first Fri. of the month). Closed July 4, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Phone ahead to confirm schedule.