The Barnes Foundation

The Barnes Foundation was established by Albert C. Barnes in 1922 to "promote the advancement of education and the appreciation of the fine arts and horticulture." The Barnes holds one of the premier collections of post-impressionist and early modern paintings, featuring works by Renoir, Cézanne, Matisse, Picasso, and Modigliani; American masters such as Demuth, Glackens, Pippin, and Prendergast; alongside old master paintings; African sculpture; American paintings and decorative arts; antiquities from the Mediterranean region and Asia; and Native American ceramics, jewelry, and textiles. With a 2013 Project grant from the Center, the Barnes commissioned London-born artist Yinka Shonibare to create new work based on its collection. In 2016, the museum received Center support to present Person of the Crowd: The Contemporary Art of Flânerie, a project featuring a gallery exhibition, newly commissioned installations and performances in unexpected Philadelphia locations, and citizen-created photos and videos capturing city life in novel ways. In 2020, the Barnes received a Center Project grant for Suzanne Valadon: Model, Painter, Rebel, a monographic exhibition on French painter Suzanne Valadon that will consider her under-recognized contributions to early 20th-century art and contemplate themes of female desire and physicality, marriage, and motherhood. In 2021, the museum received a Re:imagining Recovery grant to expand its online learning platform to produce and distribute arts education programs for pre-K–grade-12 students and adults.