Matthew versus the Barnes Foundation

There's something oddly relaxing about going to an art museum. For me personally, it offers me a moment to both unwind and focus on the intricacies of the art on the wall. I feel that paintings greatly benefit from being seen in person as opposed to viewing on a computer screen or on a print. I can see and follow the brushwork and ultimately come away with a greater appreciation of the artist's skill and creativity. Last Friday, I went to the Barnes Foundation as a part of Philadelphia's 100 year celebration of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. It has long been on my list of museums to visit and while I have visited the Philadelphia Museum of Art,  I have never visited the Barnes before. Now on a cool September night, I decided to take that plunge.

The Barnes Foundation building houses the art collection of  Philadelphia native Dr. Albert C. Barnes a chemist, physician, and businessman who lived in late 19th through the first half of the 20th Century. The collection was originally housed at the Barnes estate in the Pennsylvania suburb of Merion but moved to its present location on the Parkway in 2012. Barnes started his foundation in the 1920s as a way to provide students a way to study art and his collection grew to include several famous Impressionists and modern painters.

The paintings and art pieces in the Barnes Foundation purposely avoid the trappings of traditional art museums. There are no signs displaying the name of the paintings or artists and there also no helpful signs to provide background on the or thematic placement of the pieces. The Barnes places paintings in a much more cluttered or crowded manner than of that the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Mr. Barnes believed that this was a more natural way of viewing art. I found this approach rather jarring even off putting  at first but eventually it grew on me. I would describe it as a Summer popcorn blockbuster that hits you with piece after piece contrasting with an Oscar bait (traditional museum's)' slower more methodical out affair. There are downsides to this approach. The display style is not very intuitive and can be very intimidating to those with no prior knowledge of art or art history. There are books offered in each room offering details on each work but I did not look at them. In a crowded museum, I can see how the books would not be very practical. 
Images are from Vanity Fair, Print Magazine

The art while being primary being that of European impressionists, also includes Medieval and American art as well as pottery furniture and some iron ornamental work. French artist Pierre Renoir  is heavily featured in the collections as are his fellow impressionists Van Gogh, Manet, Monet, Seurat, and Degas, Two paintings from Black painter Horace Pippin were also an honest surprise. There were was a large Japanese piece as well as a handful of El Greco's work. A separate wing of the museum featured an exhibit called Urban Riders. It details work created by French-Algerian artist Mohamed Bourouissa who organized an inner city equestrian event in 2014. The exhibit is primarily sculpture but also includes some video and community made pieces.

While I enjoyed viewing the art, I could not escape how empty and underutilized the Barnes Foundation overall space felt. The large central atrium is startlingly bare and the bottom floor primarily consists of bathrooms and a gift shop. The close placement of artwork on the walls made it easy to overlook the ironwork and antique furniture which are not given nearly the same level of prominence.  The Native American pottery is left the languish on the bottom floor between an auditorium and the gift shop The museum seems rather large for a comparatively small collection. While I could spend hours in the Philadelphia Museum of Art, The Barnes Foundation can be seen in full within an hour. However the Foundation's museum is barely a half decade old and will surely evolve in the future.

Overall I greatly enjoyed my trip to the Barnes Foundation. Being a fan of Impressionist style I found much to love in the selection of work being displayed, I came away with a greater appreciation for Renoir and Philadelphia artist William Glackens, The Barnes approach to art museums is novel but often jarring as placing traditional Medieval art next to that of El Greco did the former no favors. For casual art fans and people who have been to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. he Barnes Foundation is well worth a visit as it provided a different type of art museum experience. There may not be much of a need for a second visit for most people but I heartily believe that the Barnes on the Parkway is worthy of time and attention of both students and the community at large.