The Barnes Foundation has contributed  more than 400 images of works from the permanent collection to the Artstor Digital Library. The collection in Artstor consists of European and American art,  paintings, prints and drawings, and objects, including nearly 60 works by Matisse.

The Barnes Foundation houses an exceptional collection of French impressionist, post-impressionist, and early modern art, including masterworks by Paul Cézanne, Edgar Degas, Vincent van Gogh, Édouard Manet, Henri Matisse, Amedeo Modigliani, Claude Monet, Pablo Picasso, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Henri Rousseau, Georges Seurat, and Chaim Soutine. American paintings and works on paper are also well-represented, including pieces by Charles Demuth, William Glackens, Charles Prendergast, and Maurice Prendergast. The wide-ranging collection is further enriched by examples of African art; Native American ceramics, jewelry, and textiles; Asian paintings, prints, and sculpture; medieval manuscripts and sculpture; old master paintings; ancient Egyptian, Greek, and Roman art; and American and European decorative arts and metalwork.

At The Foundation works of art of different cultures, time periods, and media are juxtaposed in displays arranged by its founder, Albert C. Barnes (1872–1951). Having amassed a fortune developing Argyrol, an antiseptic silver compound, Barnes established his foundation in 1922, “to promote the advancement of education and the appreciation of the fine arts” and commissioned noted French architect Paul Philippe Cret to design a gallery in Merion, PA, for his impressive collection. Today, The Barnes Foundation maintains its gallery in Philadelphia, house in a new building designed by Tod Williams and Billie Tsien, an arboretum in Merion, and an 18th-century farmhouse in Chester, PA, Ker-Feal, home to Barnes’s collection of American decorative arts. The Foundation offers educational programs in art appreciation and horticulture.