Wednesdays, February 19 – March 12, 2 – 4pm
Paul Cézanne. The Card Players (detail), 1890–92. The Barnes Foundation, BF564. Public Domain.
$250; members $225
(4 classes)
About the Class
The unusual wall arrangements, or “ensembles,” of artworks and decorative elements in the Barnes collection have long been a source of interest and provocation. In this class, we will explore the relations between masterpiece and ensemble. Each session will begin with close study of a major artwork, followed by consideration of the reciprocal dialogues it sustains with other objects in the ensemble. Our conversation will stay open to possibility and resistant to closure as we seek knowledge and understanding of the Barnes collection.
Capacity: 25
Barnes classes will:
- Sharpen your observational and critical thinking skills.
- Improve your ability to communicate about art.
- Deepen your appreciation for cultures and histories outside your own.
Instructor
Rika Burnham
Burnham is a leading theorist and practitioner of art museum gallery teaching and a lecturer at Columbia University. She previously served as head of education at the Frick Collection, New York, and project director for the Teaching Institute in Museum Education at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She coauthored Teaching in the Art Museum: Interpretation as Experience (Getty, 2011), which won a PROSE Award for best education book from the Association of American Publishers.
Recent Barnes Class Testimonials
“Naina Saligram is the professor everyone hopes to have. She is knowledgeable and open to listening to her students.” The Classical Tradition in Modern Art with Naina Saligram
“Joe Tokumasu Field was a wonderful instructor—very patient, caring, and skilled at interacting with students’ questions and comments.” The Japanese American Century with Joseph Tokumasu Field
“Kaelin got us involved in the conversation in a way that made it engaging and fun. I learned so much and didn’t feel like I was just being lectured at the whole time. The class was well paced and covered the basics without oversimplification.” The Language of Painting with Kaelin Jewell
“I love these close-looking classes; [it’s great] to see the details of each painting and to have an instructor lead our eyes in how best to look at a work of art.” Close-Looking Immersion: Glackens’s The Raft with William Perthes
“The instructor was amazing! She was extremely knowledgeable, friendly, funny, and open to questions. She brought in outside resources and made herself available via email for questions between classes. I would take anything she teaches.” The Impressionists: Friends and Family with Caterina Pierre
Go Further
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
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.” Instructor: Naina Saligram
Afternoon with an Ensemble: Room 13
Examine one of Dr. Barnes’s carefully crafted displays of paintings. Instructor: Kaelin Jewell