The Barnes Foundation

Overview

ARTstor is collaborating with The Barnes Foundation to share approximately 2,000 images of works from the permanent collection in the Digital Library. The collection in ARTstor will consist of 59 works by Henri Matisse, as well as other works in the permanent collection, which will include European and American paintings, works on paper, and objects.

The collection in ARTstor will consist of 59 works by Henri Matisse, as well as other works in the permanent collection, which will include European and American paintings, works on paper, and objects.

The Barnes Foundation juxtaposes these objects from different cultures, time periods, and media in displays arranged by its founder, Alfred C. Barnes (1872 - 1951). In 1922, Barnes established the foundation "to promote the advancement of education and the appreciation of the fine arts." Having amassed a fortune by developing a new antiseptic silver compound, Argyrol, Barnes commissioned the noted French architect Paul Philippe Cret to design a gallery to house the impressive personal collection of art he had acquired. Today, the Barnes Foundation maintains an art gallery in Merion, PA and also administers educational programs for art and horticulture, a 12-acre arboretum, and Ker-Feal, an 18th-century farmhouse in Chester, PA that displays furniture and other decorative arts. In 2009, The Barnes Foundation announced plans to construct a new facility in downtown Philadelphia, PA that will replicate the installation of the collection in the original galleries in Merion, PA. The new complex, designed by Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects and scheduled for completion in 2012, will include additional space for art education programs, special exhibitions, and art conservation.

The Barnes Foundation houses one of the most renowned collections of French Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, and early Modern art, including masterworks by Paul Cézanne, Edgar Degas, Vincent van Gogh, Edouard Manet, Henri Matisse, Amadeo Modigliani, Claude Monet, Pablo Picasso, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Henri Rousseau, Georges Seurat, and Chaim Soutine. Also well-represented are American paintings and works on paper, including works by Charles Demuth, William Glackens, Charles Prendergast, and Maurice Prendergast. The wide-ranging permanent collection is further enriched by examples of African sculpture; Native American ceramics, jewelry, and textiles; Asian paintings, prints, and sculpture; medieval manuscripts and sculpture; Old Master European paintings; ancient Egyptian, Greek, and Roman art; and American and European decorative arts and metalwork.

Collection information

* Image totals should be regarded as an approximation until a given collection is 100% complete. Users should also bear in mind that the number of images available to them may vary from country to country, reflecting ARTstor’s approach to addressing an international copyright landscape that itself varies from country to country.

Last updated: March 3, 2011

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