Take a Class
Study art history at the Barnes, a leader in art education since 1925. Come learn in our galleries, or take classes online using our immersive, state-of-the-art platform that brings you closer to the work than ever before.
Research Notes:
June 2023
New theories and recent discoveries from the Barnes’s curators, scholars, conservators, and archivists.
Research Notes:
August 2023
New theories and recent discoveries from the Barnes’s curators, scholars, conservators, and archivists.
Research Notes:
October 2023
New theories and recent discoveries from the Barnes’s curators, scholars, conservators, and archivists.
Research Notes: March 2024
New theories and recent discoveries from the Barnes’s curators, scholars, conservators, and archivists.
Research Notes:
August 2024
New theories and recent discoveries from the Barnes’s curators, scholars, conservators, and archivists.
Research Notes:
June 2024
New theories and recent discoveries from the Barnes’s curators, scholars, conservators, and archivists.
Online Art History Classes: Enroll Today
The Barnes has been an innovator in art education for 100 years. For a limited time, sign up to receive 10% off your first class.
Register for Fall Classes—Now Open!
Exhibition Tour: Matisse & Renoir: New Encounters at the Barnes
Get a fresh perspective on Henri Matisse and Pierre-Auguste Renoir in the Roberts Gallery.
Private Exhibition Tour: Matisse & Renoir: New Encounters at the Barnes
This tour is a private one-hour experience for up to seven guests.
Highlights Tour
This one-hour tour is perfect for first-time visitors. Explore highlights of the collection and learn the history of the Barnes.
Private Collection Tour
Explore highlights of the collection and learn the history of the Barnes. This tour is a private one-hour experience for you and up to seven guests.
Private Collection Tour: Favorite Artists
Choose your favorite artists in the collection for a private one-hour experience for up to eight guests.
September Spotlight Tour: The Impressionists: Rebels of the Art World
A closer look at Monet, Degas, Renoir, Pissarro, and other artists who led this modern art movement.
Chromophilia: Modern Art and the Reinvention of Color
Take a closer look at how artists like Manet and Matisse redefined color and its use in modern art. Instructor: Paul Galvez
Degas and Impressionism: 150 Years Later
An in-depth look at Degas’s contribution to the impressionism movement, taught by the curator of the exhibition currently on view at the Clark Art Institute. Instructor: Michelle Foa
The Traditions of Art
Learn how modern artists adapted earlier traditions in developing new visual languages. Instructor: Kaelin Jewell
The Elements of Art
Learn basic aesthetic principles and discover art’s communicative power by studying works in the Barnes collection. Instructor: William Perthes
Close-Looking Immersion: El Greco’s Apparition of the Virgin and Child to Saint Hyacinth
This new series of single-session immersions provides opportunities to study and discuss individual works. Instructor: Kaelin Jewell
Members-Only Online Tour: The Barnes Collection
This exclusive online tour offers members up-close views of favorite artworks.
The Elements of Art
Learn basic aesthetic principles and discover art’s communicative power by studying works in the Barnes collection. Instructor: Kaelin Jewell
Collection Concentration: Paul Cézanne
Study Cézanne’s influence on European modernism and trace the development of his visual language. Instructor: William Perthes
Painting and Poetry
This course looks at the connections between painting and poetry and how they communicate an artist’s philosophy, desires, or cultural orientation. Instructor: Laura J. Watts
Members-Only Online Talk: Bertrand Russell and the Barnes
Archivist Rob Jagiela provides an in-depth look at Russell’s association with Dr. Barnes and the foundation.
Members-Only Online Tour: The Impressionists: Rebels of the Art World
This exclusive online tour provides a closer look at Monet, Degas, Renoir, Pissarro, and other artists who led the impressionist movement.
ARTZ @ The Museum
This program provides free access to the Barnes for people living with dementia and their care partners.
Afternoon with an Ensemble: Room 14
Examine one of Dr. Barnes’s carefully crafted displays of paintings. Instructor: Kaelin Jewell
October Spotlight Tour: The Impressionists: Rebels of the Art World
A closer look at Monet, Degas, Renoir, Pissarro, and other artists who led this modern art movement.
First Friday: Sofrito
Enjoy Latin jazz by Philly's Sofrito, a collaboration between pianist Luke Carlos O’Reilly and trumpeter Josh Lawrence.
PECO Free First Sunday Family Day: Woven Words
Help us celebrate Indigenous People’s Day early with art activities, special performances, and free access to the collection.
Modern Painters Take the Stage: Set and Costume Design in 20th-Century Theater
Explore groundbreaking collaborations that brought important visual artists to the stage. Instructor: Caterina Y. Pierre
Close-Looking Immersion: Maurice Brazil Prendergast’s Marblehead Harbor
This new series of single-session immersions provides opportunities to study and discuss individual works. Instructor: William Perthes
Lecture: André Dombrowski on Monet Painting on Water
This talk, part of our Impressionism at the Barnes lecture series, considers Monet’s innovative treatment of water.
Looking and Listening: Albert Barnes’s Pairing of Art and Music in the Galleries
This new series explores the relationship between visual art and music. Today’s session re-creates some of Dr. Barnes’s favorite pairings. Instructor: Alison Boyd
Members-Only Online Tour: The Impressionists: Rebels of the Art World
This exclusive online tour provides a closer look at Monet, Degas, Renoir, Pissarro, and other artists who led the impressionist movement.
Member Previews: Mickalene Thomas: All About Love
As a member, see our latest exhibition before the public opening.
2024 Barnes Art Ball
Join us for our yearly celebration of art, community, and philanthropy.
Builders, Heroes, and Unicorns: Exploring the History and Treasures of the Met Cloisters
Join the curator-in-charge of the Cloisters for a deep dive into the museum’s history, architecture, and collections. Instructor: C. Griffith Mann
Curators in Conversation: Mickalene Thomas: All About Love
This engaging conversation on Mickalene Thomas features exhibition curator Renée Mussai and Barnes chief curator Nancy Ireson.
In Focus Gallery Talk: Mickalene Thomas: All About Love
An in-depth discussion about Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe: Les Trois Femmes Noires with Emma Nell Jacobs. Free with admission; Roberts Gallery
Zooming In on Van Gogh
Delve into the life and work of one of the greatest, and most mythologized, painters of the modern era. Instructor: Martha Lucy
Workshop: Art, Well-Being, and Medicine
Learn how engaging with works of art can strengthen your skills as a healthcare provider. Instructor: William Perthes
Exhibition Tour: Mickalene Thomas: All About Love
Take an in-depth exhibition tour to learn more about Mickalene Thomas’s work and practice.
Mickalene Thomas, Visual Pleasure and Arts Activism
Take a deeper dive into Thomas’s career and influence with the curator of All About Love. Instructor: Renée Mussai
Members-Only Tour: Mickalene Thomas: All About Love
This exclusive exhibition tour provides a closer look at Thomas’s vivid and multifaceted artworks
Online Member Orientation
New members are invited to join us online to learn more about the perks of membership at the Barnes.
Members-Only Online Tour: Mickalene Thomas: All About Love
This exclusive online tour offers members up-close views of the exhibition.
November Spotlight Tour: Dreams of Arcadia: Cézanne, Gauguin, Matisse
Explore the works of 19th- and early 20th-century artists who lived in a time of rapid industrialization and yearned for a return to nature.
First Friday: Immanuel Wilkins
A night of jazz with Philly-born saxophonist and composer Immanuel Wilkins.
PECO Free First Sunday Family Day: All About Love
Today's fun art activities and performances celebrate the art of Mickalene Thomas.
Order and Invention
How does an idea become a finished work of art? This class explores some of the tools that aid artists in making images. Instructor: Michael Williamson
Errand into the Maze: The Masterpiece and the Ensemble
Consider the reciprocal dialogues between works within Barnes ensembles while seeking a deeper understanding of the collection as a whole. Instructor: Rika Burnham
Size Does Matter: A History of Miniatures in Art
What makes miniatures so fascinating? And what compels artists to work on such a tiny scale? This course shines a spotlight on the art and history of miniatures. Instructor: Julie Steiner
Members-Only Online Tour: Mickalene Thomas: All About Love
This exclusive online tour offers members up-close views of the exhibition.
Close-Looking Immersion: Picasso’s Woman Seated on Striped Floor
This new series of single-session immersions provides opportunities to study and discuss individual works. Instructor: Naina Saligram
Lecture: Michelle Foa on Seurat at the Barnes
This talk, part of our Impressionism at the Barnes lecture series, sheds new light on Seurat’s techniques and his place within the impressionist group.
Members-Only Online Tour: Dreams of Arcadia: Cézanne, Gauguin, Matisse
Members are invited to an exclusive online collection tour focused on works by modern painters inspired by Arcadian ideals.
Member Orientation
New members are invited to learn more about the perks of membership at the Barnes.
PECO Free First Sunday Family Day: Reflections
Reflect on 2024 with us and enjoy family-friendly art activities and performances, plus free access to the collection and Mickalene Thomas: All About Love.
December Spotlight Tour: Dreams of Arcadia: Cézanne, Gauguin, Matisse
Explore the works of 19th- and early 20th-century artists who lived in a time of rapid industrialization and yearned for a return to nature.
First Friday: Yolanda Wisher & The Afroeaters
Led by poet and vocalist Yolanda Wisher, the Philly jazz band performs music from their debut album.
Pillars of the Collection
Spend time in the galleries examining some of the most important and best-loved art and artists in the collection. Instructors: Kaelin Jewell, William Perthes
Close-Looking Immersion: Gauguin’s Haere Pape
This new series of single-session immersions provides opportunities to study and discuss individual works. Instructor: Naina Saligram
Members-Only Online Tour: Mickalene Thomas: All About Love
This exclusive online tour offers members up-close views of the exhibition.
Lecture: Martha Lucy on Renoir’s La Source
This talk, part of our Impressionism at the Barnes lecture series, reveals why this work was so provocative for its time and how it influenced the rest of the artist’s career.
Looking and Listening: Picasso and the Art of Composing
This new series explores the relationship between visual art and music. Today’s session looks at works by Picasso that have been called “visual music.” Instructors: Alison Boyd, Naina Saligram
Members-Only Online Tour: Dreams of Arcadia: Cézanne, Gauguin, Matisse
Members are invited to an exclusive online collection tour focused on works by modern painters inspired by Arcadian ideals.
Horticulture Certificate Program
Our three-year certificate program covers horticultural science, methods, and design.
Art, Well-Being, and Medicine
New program! Our group workshops help medical students and healthcare professionals develop a more empathetic, humanistic approach to patient care.
Saint Joseph’s University Museum Education Graduate Program
A collaboration between the Barnes and SJU, this new online program prepares museum educators to work in public and private institutions, including art, history, and science museums.
The Barnes–de Mazia Certificate Program
This special track offers an immersion in the Barnes Method and an introduction to other interpretive approaches.
Gift a Barnes Class
Give the gift of lifelong learning with art history classes taught by Barnes experts.