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.
In Focus: The Ancient World
New Offering: A fresh look at ancient art. Learn about works from ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome.
In Focus: Pierre-Auguste Renoir
An introduction to Renoir’s life and work, with interactive videos that let you explore his canvases up close. See why Renoir is more than just rosy cheeks and cute babies.
The Art of Looking: An Introduction to the Barnes Method
This interactive online course will teach you the basics of the Barnes Method of studying art, at your own pace.
The Art of Display: Exploring the Barnes Ensembles
Uncover connections hidden in plain sight by studying Dr. Barnes’s enigmatic displays of art at your own pace.
Modernism Across Media: Joyce, Stravinsky, Picasso
Explore the connections between three key figures in early 20th-century modernism. Instructors: Naina Saligram, Paul Saint-Amour, Mimi Stillman
Infernal Visions: Ideas of Hell in the History of Art
Learn how different cultures have visualized the underworld. Instructor: Antongiulio Sorgini
Courbet Reconsidered
Learn more about Gustave Courbet and his place in the history of modern art. Instructor: Paul Galvez
Close-Looking Immersion: Soutine’s Flayed Rabbit
Spend an hour immersed in one of the most viscerally affecting paintings in our collection. Instructor: Kaelin Jewell
Impressionism and the Music of Claude Debussy and His Contemporaries
Explore the connections between impressionism in painting and music. Instructor: Mimi Stillman
Echoes in Clay and Code: Native American Art Across Generations
From ancestral pottery to contemporary digital media, explore Native art as a living, changing cultural expression. Instructor: Dakota H. Stevens
Primitivism and Modern Art
Learn about the concept of primitivism and its enormous role in modern European and American art. Instructor: Alison Boyd
Close-Looking Immersion: Persian Manuscript Rustam Lifts Qanun from His Horse
Immerse yourself in a tiny 16th-century Persian manuscript from the Barnes collection. Instructor: Naina Saligram
Bon Appétit! Food and Art in 18th- and 19th-Century France
Explore the history of French food culture and how it shows up in modern paintings. Instructor: Christa DiMarco
Exhibition Seminar: Henri Rousseau: A Painter’s Secrets
Explore the dreamlike imagery of Henri Rousseau face-to-face in our exhibition gallery. Instructor: Martha Lucy
The Garden Design of Piet Oudolf
Explore the naturalistic design philosophy of Piet Oudolf, whose iconic projects include New York’s High Line and the newly planted Calder Gardens. Instructors: Erin Monda, Andrew Bunting
Pillars of the Collection
Spend the day exploring iconic works in the Barnes collection and the artists that helped shape Dr. Barnes’s vision. Instructor: Naina Saligram
Exhibition Seminar: Henri Rousseau: A Painter’s Secrets
Explore the dreamlike imagery of Henri Rousseau face-to-face in our exhibition gallery. Instructor: Martha Lucy
Discovering Daumier’s The Ribalds
This immersive workshop is an opportunity to study and discuss an individual work in the Barnes galleries. Instructor: William Perthes
Close-Looking Immersion: Cézanne’s Portrait of a Woman
Spend an hour with Cézanne’s haunting Portrait of a Woman. Instructor: William Perthes
Saint Joseph’s University Museum Education Graduate Program
A collaboration with SJU, this new program prepares future museum educators for roles in public and private institutions.
Horticulture Certificate Program
Our two-year certificate program covers horticultural science, methods, and design.
The Barnes–de Mazia Certificate Program
This special track offers an immersion in the Barnes Method and an introduction to other interpretive approaches.
Art, Well-Being, and Medicine
Our group workshops help medical students and healthcare professionals develop a more empathetic, humanistic approach to patient care.
Gift a Barnes Class
Give the gift of lifelong learning with art history classes taught by Barnes experts.