Barnes Foundation

The Barnes Foundation is an educational institution founded in 1922 by Albert Coombs Barnes, originally conceived as a college of philosophy and art. Barnes, a pharmacist, used his lecture series to bring in scholars such as William James and Bertrand Russell, and placed particular emphasis on supporting the lower social classes and the African American community. His teaching approach was based on instructing students directly in front of original works, which set the institution apart from traditional museums. The collection includes masterpieces of French Impressionism and Post-Impressionism, among them numerous paintings by Renoir, Cézanne, Matisse, and Picasso, supplemented by African sculptures and works by African American artists.

After years of financial difficulties and legal disputes over the interpretation of Barnes's will, the art collection was moved in 2012 from its original location in Merion to a new building on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia. The new building, designed by Tod Williams and Billie Tsien, houses the works in an arrangement modeled on the original hangings in Merion. Today the collection is open to a wider audience and, in addition to the exhibits, offers amenities such as a bookstore and a restaurant. In 2023, the court also ruled that, under certain conditions, loans from the collection are permitted, which further strengthens the collection's international presence.