The Barnes Foundation
300 North Latch's Lane
Merion, PA 19066
Phone: 610-667-0290
Fax: 610-664-4026
Website - www.barnesfoundation.org
The Barnes Foundation is currently located in a residential area in Merion, PA, just off of City Line Avenue near the intersection with 54th Street.
The Foundation is proceeding with plans to move its art collection from its current location in Merion to the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia. The proposed location is at 20th Street & the Parkway, former site of the Philadelphia Department of Human Services' Youth Study Center. The relocation is in response to the need for a facility that can accommodate greater numbers of visitors than is possible in its current location.
The proposed move is not, however, without opposition. Friends of the Barnes Foundation is a citizens' group dedicated "to educating the public about the unique legacy and mission of the Barnes Foundation, and to supporting efforts to maintain the permanent collection and the educational programs in their original home."
The current location is within walking distance of the SEPTA Regional Rail R-5 (Paoli bound) Merion Station and the SEPTA Ardmore bound 44 bus. There are a limited number of parking spaces available on site.
September through June: Friday, Saturday, Sunday - 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
July & August: Wednesday, Thursday, Friday - 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Admission is limited to 1,200 per week. Advanced reservations are required for all visits and are accepted by telephone, fax or e-mail Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Reservations should be made thirty to forty-five to sixty days in advance to obtain your desired date and time.
General Admission Prices:
Admission is $10.00 per person. All tickets and parking are non-refundable. Audio guides are available at the Gallery for an additional $7 per person.To ensure that you can park when you come, you need a parking reservation ($10.00). Parking may be purchased upon arrival (if available) at the guard booth behind the gallery. There is free street parking within two to five blocks from The Foundation.
Membership:
Individual memberships cost $75 annually ($55 tax deductible) and include two admission tickets, 10% gift shop discount, volunteer opportunities and discounts on special events, lectures, workshops, and behind-the-scenes tours.Household memberships cost $120 annually ($80 tax deductible) and include four admission tickets and the same additional benefits.
"Dr. Albert Barnes established the Barnes Foundation in 1922 to 'promote the advancement of education and the appreciation of the fine arts' and horticulture. "The Foundation carries out its mission through teaching, research, and other programs related to its Art Department and Arboretum, as well as through public access to the Gallery which houses its main collection of paintings, sculpture, and other works of art." - The Barnes Foundation
The Foundation carries out its mission through teaching, research and other programs related to its Art department and Arboretum, as well as through public access to the gallery.
Through its formal educational programs, and by providing public access to its wealth of art spanning many centuries and crossing many cultures, The Barnes Foundation remains an affirmation of Dr. Barnes's belief that human creative genius is not bounded by race, ethnicity or nationality.
The Barnes Foundation is home to the world's largest collection of works by Renoir. The Barnes' more than 3,000-piece collection focuses on French Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, American and African art and sculpture. Collection highlights include:
- Pierre-Auguste Renoir – 181 works
- Paul Cézanne – 69 works
- Henri Matisse – 59 works
- Pablo Picasso – 46 works
- Chaim Soutine – 21 works
- Henri Rousseau – 18 works
- Amedeo Modigliani – 16 works
- Edgar Degas – 11 works
- Vincent van Gogh – 7 works
- Georges Seurat – 6 works
After the art collection moves to the Parkway, horticulture classes will continue to be offered at the Arboretum which is home to:
- More than 2,000 species over 12 acres
- More than 10,000 species in the Herbarium
- Trees dating to the 1880s
The Library:
The Barnes Foundation Library houses more than 5,000 volumes. It is open to scholars and Barnes students.Docent-led tours of the Gallery are held three times per day (10:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m.), on a first-come, first-served basis. Visitors may not reserve tours in advance, and groups are not permitted to participate. Fifteen tour passes are given out one half-hour before the tour begins, at the information booth in the Gallery.
Cameras are not permitted in the gallery. You may take pictures of the Arboretum on the grounds outside of the gallery.
The Barnes Foundation is handicap accessible. There is an elevator that will take visitors to all floors of the Gallery. Two wheelchairs are available on a first-come first-serve basis. Wheelchairs can be requested upon arrival at the gate behind the Gallery. Guests that need to be dropped off directly in front of the Gallery should get permission from the guard at the front gate. Handicap parking is available in the on-site parking lot.
A Gift Shop is open when The Foundation is open but closes at 4:30 p.m., one half-hour before the gallery. A selection of prints, note cards, postcards, books, and gift items are sold.
