Barnes Foundation Review

The finest private collection of impressionist art in Philadelphia

A hidden gem in Philadelphia. Plan for a minimum of 90 minutes to take the whole gallery in.

Having been to the original site, we were satisfied with the ease of access to the Parkway building. Also, viewing was easier. The on-site web app helped, too.

This is one of the best collections of art on the planet. The place is welcoming with a friendly staff. There is a parking lot and street parking is usually available too.

The art collections and exhibitions at the Barnes Foundation are world class. My family enjoys the free family days on the 1st Sunday of each month, and my wallet appreciates not having to shell out the $25/adult admissions fee! Over the years, the Barnes has provided a base for our homeschooling art appreciation units. Most recently we toured the thought-provoking 30 Americans exhibit.

Amazing collection! This is a must have experience.

Collection of paintings by impressionist painters unique in the world. Original presentation, essential museum.

Excellent venue only a 4 star because it was so crowded.

Really enjoyed my visit here!! This is a very unique museum kind of experience. The staff were so friendly and well informed about the pieces. They also hold lots of community events so I know I ll be back!

Simply amazing in every respect. As a transplant from Atlanta, I continue to be impressed with Philadelphia's museum venues.

A breathtaking collection of artworks, from May 6 to September 3 with Renoir: Father and Son paintings, photos and movie pictures

The modern structure is worth of a visit by itself, but the collection inside is amazing. Renoir is dominating the collection, now with a unique exhibition about him and his son Jean Renoir, the film director. Many, many other artists are represented, and every one of the 20+ rooms carry tens of works.

There were many quality pictures to enjoy. If you are a fan of ks pictures you will love it.

In this small museum you can find a wonderful and incredible pictorial collection, where the impressionist and post-impressionist paintings are located. In addition, its presentation is very original as if it were an annual painting exhibition, or the rooms of a private house, from the late 19th or early 20th centuries.

Rather expensive. Beautiful space, and interesting juxtaposition of art, but worth researching before you go. It's not my type of art, but I'm more of a modern art person.

Delightful; our first visit since the Foundation moved; the attention to detail as Barnes had it is commendable.

Well worth the visit, even if the crowds (and the extremely talkative docents) are a bit much.

The art museum to visit if you're in Philly, if you have to choose one among this the Philadelphia Art Museum and Rodin it's not close. Take a picture on the steps of the Philly Art Museum but visit the Barnes.

Maybe this is one of those "love it or hate it" places. If you hate Renoir, you'll hate it.

I love to visit art museums wherever we are traveling. This one is my new favorite. Words or images would not be able to capture how sublime this experience is. The property, the collection, the journey throughout the exhibits. It s all very glorious.

Love the Barnes Foundation! They have arts everywhere and it s all beautiful art. There wasn t any descriptions written next to the art, so we ll have to use phones for descriptions.

Your ability to touch the displays and take pictures

Not convinced by the conventional choices and the hanging of the works according to Mr. Barnes. Many (too much?) Renoir, not enough Monet, Pissarro, Seurat or Signac for example. If you only have time for one museum in Philadelphia, consider the Philadelphia Museum of Arts on the same avenue.

Monitors seem to not be consistent with room guidelines.

For impressionist art enthusiasts. Beautiful curation and display!

Have visited several times. Amazing art collection. Feels a bit like a "hidden gem", even though a major museum. Perfect size for a several hour visit. Very clean. Will return.

Beautiful. Simply beautiful. But be warned take public transportation and walk.

The interactive website was really fun, easy, and informative

Beautiful museum with a impressive collection of impressions paintings and interesting household items

Loved this museum! Is a private collection. Very interesting!

The Barnes foundations in fabolous collection of impressionist art and can only be rivaled by museums in Europe. However there are so many works there it can almost be overwhelming. this is one of those situations where I just had to purchase a book that outline most of the details about the many many works of impressionist. overall I would definitely suggest the pay of the visit if you are an efficient auto of impressionist works.

This is by far one of the most amazing museums I've ever had to pleasure of visiting. The art collection is arranged in such a way that you are able to view all the paintings at eye level.

Buy tickets in advance for their Toddler Time. It's incredible

Great building with a huge array of paintings. Lacking curation and context, but still a great place. A bit pricey, though.

Quite an impressive collection of 19th century European art from 1850-1900. A little over the top on Renoirs but that was Barnes favorite (181 Renoirs in his collection, that's not a misprint). Not a fan of salon style calories but quite interesting the way Barnes put it together.

Amazing. Love the unique art arrangements grouping by color, texture, composition, style, size. Symmetry abounds.

A superb collection that every art lover should see.

One of the best art museum in the U.S. Themes of collection is understandable (authentic) for most people but highly sophisticated with originality in alignment of pictures.

This gallery made for a good, stimulating date. Lots to discuss about and many observations to make. The exhibit was thoughtfully curated by the late owner and actually enhanced the experience. It was good that the Renoirs were interspersed throughout the gallery. I like the works of Renoir, but that day felt like overkill and I could go another decade without looking at another Renoir impressionist BBW. But their placement certainly helped. Earlier works of Picasso were my highlight. This is an exhibit that requires more than one visit.

A very beautiful museum with a large number of works despite its small size. The restaurant at the entrance and the garden around it are very nice.

Loved every single room - filled with world class paintings by the most famous artists ever. Loved my time there. Great pop up Docents talks.

The largest collection of Renoir are housed in this museum. Spectacular! Loved this museum.. a vast array of paintings by the masters to eclectic designs & artists. The restaurant served the most delicious food I have tasted in a long time! Surprising I know!! Highly Recommend..

Great art museum with some very rare pieces. I preferred the old location over this one, because the crowds were more controlled and you could enjoy the exhibits much better.

You know you wanna go. What's stopping you
Go and enjoy. I'm sure Mr Barnes will forgive you for enjoying his collection under the city of Phila care in spite of his will and trust. He's smiling out there somewhere. He could not of gotten so rich without being screwed over more than once.
Death is the great equalizer and the people who move his collection will be dead and all this will be a side note. Go before your dead

I absolutely love this collection. The story behind the doctor that acquired these works of art is fascinating! I enjoy that the works of art are not bogged down by tons of descriptive plaques and let the viewer see the art for what it is and, if they desire, learn more about it through interactive apps. My all-time-favorite Van Gogh is in this gallery!!

My little niece, my nephew, and I had such a great time! We got to see wonderful art pieces as well as dance in the lobby to some dope DJ Tunes! We had a great time despite my flip-flop breaking LOL! We can't wait to return the next time

Helped create the virtual tour for the new Barnes Foundation! Loved the staff and establishment. Great Relocation!

Daniel McGee
Google Business Photos Philadelphia

Where else would you see a vangogh flanked by cezanne and renoir, all in a home like setting?

A must see for museum fans, exactly arranged as it was in it's former home

Its good to explore in and around here, you need atleast an hour to see through

Amazing architecture design! I spent 2 hours just walking around outside of the building and the lobby to appreciate the beauty of lighting and shadows. The facade of the building utilities various rectangles to create lively pattern. The pond around the building extend the visual height of the architecture and creates the serenity to provide the transitional atmosphere from outside to inside. The heavy entrance door to make us have one more second to feel the change from noisy outside works to the calm reception area.

Different then any other art museum because of the way they hang the paintings in groupings with hardware and hinges. Sometimes it felt like there was too much to look at in each room.

30 Americans exhibit ends Jan 12,2020. Still time to see it. This special show was wonderful to see along with the permanent collection. Pop up art talks. Friendly staff. Fantastic architecture. Family friendly. Easy parking. Wide selection of restaurants in neighborhood. Takes many trips to absorb it all

The Barnes collection is breathtaking. It is almost too much to see and really absorb in one visit. We went on a First Friday and really enjoyed the music.

The layout is different then you will find in other galleries. I suggest actually reading the material or going to the classroom to get perspective on the arrangement. The rotating installations are also.... unique

Perfect place to appreciate the work of the impressionists.

If you're not a 'art connoisseur' this is not the place for you.
The building has some fantastic rooms, but the exhibition is located in relatively small rooms with overcrowded walls.

If you walk around without a guide or audio guide your only possibility of information is in folders located in each room limited to the most basic info on each piece of art.

All in all it was an underwhelming experience and didn't inspire a layman like me.

You would spend your time and money better at Philadelphia Museum of art and the Rodin Museum.

Phenomenal collection, uniquely arranged, with expert information from the Art Crew make for a fun and engaging museum experience. Don't miss it.

Incredible facility, printed guides make viewing a pleasure

If you are love art or are looking for a place to visit in Philadelphia, you have to go here. The collection is awesome.

Looking forward to actually going in, lol. Beautiful, serene place

I (probably like most non-art fans) found this museum from the documentary The Art of the Steal.

After watching the movie I was upset they moved the art into the city against the wishes of Mr. Barnes. However, after visiting the museum I am sure glad they did. It was absolutely stunning and an amazing experience!

It was also not too packed like other popular museums which was very nice. You can take your time to really enjoy the art and sit down just to take it all in.

I would HIGHLY recommend people to The Barnes!

The Barnes Foundation was pretty amazing. Dr. Barnes amassed a huge collection of art. The facility is beautiful. The art historians on staff are friendly and knowledgeable. In your visit, you will learn about Dr. Barnes' arrangement of the ensembles. Look fot the pyramid arrangements and symmetry on either side of what's in the center. Very interesting.

Amazing collection. Make sure to take in the free lectures happening every half hour, they help appreciate the artwork so much more.

What a treat, and right in our own backyard!

The Barnes has one of the largest private art collections. There are multiple paintings from Matisse, Cezanne, Monet, Renoire, Picasso - the list goes on!

We went on a "First Sunday" special so the entry was free (and therefore the line was forming at an exponential speed!) Once you're passed the double door entry, you can go downstairs for coat check/waiting area until your time or straight through to the galleries if you wanted to hang out in the open space between galleries where they have a small cafe for coffee and snacks. The tickets have a time on them, and that is the time that you're able to actually enter into the galleries.

I liked the organization of the rooms. Each room had a specific booklet, and each booklet was organized by wall - very easy to find the artwork you're interested in and learn more about the piece. The booklets gave us a glimpse of the history of the artwork, naming the artist and the titling of the piece. After that, it was all up to your imagination to peer and see what was intended (or not!)

During the afternoon there is usually a group activity (it was arts and crafts the day we went) so definitely a good idea to bring the kids for these events. The group activity is independent from the art gallery viewing, so you're able to enter just for that if that is your plan.

Honestly, great way to spend the morning getting your culture on, and the afternoon activities really help make this a fun family outing. Enjoy!

Poorly cause i drive a bus and bring students there and there's no parking when you have other buses sitting there. I just received a ticket from PPA while I was loading my group. That isn't fair that sucks when it comes out my pay

Beautiful small collection of the Impressionists. Great special collections.

The Barnes is my favorite museum in Philadelphia. It is intimate, an invitation into Barnes' home and his personal collection over his hand-picked creamy-yellow wallpaper. Every gallery was curated by Barnes himself, with exhibits assembled based on look and symmetry, rather than time or movement, and without the usual background/information plaques. Barnes' philosophy was that of critical thinking, of coming up with your own opinion, the lack of plaques in the galleries fosters that: you pick your favorite painiting because it's your favorite, not because it's a van Gogh and you're "supposed" to.
Barnes becan teaching art education to everyone, regardless of race, socioeconomic standing, or education because he believed it was an important step in fostering critical thinking and maintaining democracy. Recent years at the Foundation have sort-of warped that by making the pricing inaccessible to the public, to families, to anyone except the "elite intellectuals" who are their main clientele -- I hope that the Barnes can return to their roots.
That being said, I do believe it is a worthwhile museum to visit if you can find the time and money to do so: student discount is $5 with ID, adults are $25

The replication of the original in the new location is impressive. The design creates an unexpected architectural experience: it feels very different navigating the rooms inside, compared to how it looks from the outside. The modern exhibits are a nice counter-point to the permanent collection. Every time we've visited, it's been an intense deep dive into a few slices of artistic time and place.

The collection of this museum is very rich. However, the organization of the boards leaves much to be desired. The store has very beautiful souvenirs. The visit makes up for the price you pay.

Nice artworks, cool architecture, nothing like the original.

I was told if visiting Philadelphia The Barns Foundation is a must. Art not being my passion I visited out of courtesy. Impressive external design. I entered the first room and took in my first Van Gogh, Renoir and Picasso. 4 hours later...I left having learnt quite a lot (the staff really know their subjects) and having a new appreciation for this environment. So basically, even if you know nothing or have no initial interest in art...this place is a powerhouse!