An incredible collection of western European modern art from the likes of Prendergast, Cézanne, and Van Gogh ended up in Philadelphia. I loved the giant pointillism painting Models by Seurat which featured a slice of the famous A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte. Both are from the six major works of the artist.
There is a splatter of 15th to 17th century European and East Asian art placed in questionable chronological order, none of them famous. This is the kind of art gallery I can imagine students sitting in all day with a sketch book faithfully recreating the new masters’ works. In fact, I did see a six year old boy with a sketch book on a bench.
There are no interpretive signs. Instead, visitors use a brochure or a website to check for information. The children are quiet and well-behaved while the adults are studious appreciators of what is in front of them. This is the only American art museum I’ve been to where some basic, like-chasing, 20-somethings social media addict hasn’t posed in front of a famous work of art for a self shot. We need more places like the Barnes Foundation where the halls echo of the click clocks of heels on wooden floorboards that represent the refinement and enjoyment of artistic beauty.
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