Discoveries: Lord of the Art Manor
November 2007
Inside the Barnes Foundation, one can almost imagine its founder, Dr. Albert C. Barnes, walking through the halls, expounding his ideas of art. During his lifetime, only the select few were invited to view this exceptional collection of French Impressionist, post-Impressionist and early Modern paintings. Even today, reservations must be made in advance for the limited number of tickets and the parking spaces coveted by devotees who drive to its location in Merion, about three miles west of downtown Philadelphia. And to secure a place on one of the foundation-trained docent tours, visitors often must line up in advance. Every step, however, is worth the effort.Frozen exactly as it was at Barnes’ death in 1951, the institution remains a testament to its founder’s ideals. He personally designed the installation of the nearly 800 paintings, where wall after wall is salon-hung with mostly Impressionist, post-Impressionist and Modern paintings juxtaposed with collections of African masks, Native American jewelry, American and European metalwork and Pennsylvania Dutch furniture. "The galleries were not for the public," explains Derek Gillman, executive director and president of the foundation. "They were classrooms, which were open to the public on the days when there weren’t classes. They were hung specifically to demonstrate the relationships that Barnes wanted to articulate to students. He wanted to make them think about color and light and form in daily life, not just in the context of the paintings."
Breaking down a work of art into its basic components seems logical for a man who trained as a physician and who, along with German chemist Herman Hille, developed and manufactured pharmaceuticals, most famously the patented antiseptic compound Argyrol. In 1907, Barnes bought out Hille’s stake and began to amass a large fortune. Soon after rekindling a friendship with his high-school classmate, the Ashcan School painter William Glackens, he began to invest in art. In 1912, Barnes sent Glackens to Paris with $20,000, and he returned with a stash of paintings including van Gogh’s "The Postman" (1889) and Picasso’s "Woman with a Cigarette" (1901).
Later that year, Barnes traveled to Paris, where he met Gertrude and Leo Stein. Combining the access his friends provided with a large pocketbook and an insatiable appetite for paintings, Barnes amassed the largest single group of French Impressionist, post-Impressionist and Modern paintings in private hands. The collection includes 181 pieces by Renoir, 69 by Cézanne, 59 by Matisse, 46 by Picasso, 18 by Rousseau and 16 by Modigliani, as well as works by American artists such as Glackens, Horace Pippin, Charles and Maurice Prendergast, Charles Demuth and John Kane.
Barnes had distinct ideas on art appreciation, which he set out in a 1915 magazine article in the Arts and Decoration titled "How to Judge a Painting." He saw his collection as a way to further his theories. So rather than found a museum, he established the Barnes Foundation in 1922 as a school for the study of art and philosophy.
Barnes commissioned the French architect Paul Philippe Cret to design the facility, a French neoclassical building with a series of small, intimate galleries. In 1925 the building was opened and classes began with Columbia philosophy professor John Dewey, who was known for his scientific method of teaching, as the foundation’s director of education.
Barnes was a cantankerous man, dedicated to those who agreed with him and a thorn in the sides of those who didn’t. For years he controlled access to the foundation, only granting permission to those he deemed worthy. Generally he favored the members of the working class, and museum professionals, critics and the wealthy were regularly denied admission. In fact, Barnes was continually embroiled in arguments and litigation, a legacy that has continued long after his death.The foundation was first taken to court by a reporter from the Philadelphia Inquirer (a newspaper owned by fellow art collector Walter Annenberg) and Art News, but it was a suit by the state of Pennsylvania that eventually forced a change in the foundation’s admission policy. Anyone can now visit, but because The Barnes Foundation continued to function as an educational institution rather than a museum, it was only open to the public a few days a week. Large numbers of visitors flocked to see the collection on those days, and not long after this change was made, the foundation found itself in court again, this time fighting neighborhood activists who were successful in limiting the number of visitors and cars that are acceptable.
The low admission fees, a rapidly deteriorating building and increasing conservation and security costs forced the foundation to request that the court make an exception to Barnes’ will and allow paintings from the collection to leave the building. After years of deliberation, permission was eventually granted. In 1993, the museum tour, titled "Great French Paintings from the Barnes Collection: Impressionist, Post-Impressionist and Early Modern" facilitated much-needed repairs to the building. In 2004, when it became apparent that the foundation was again on the verge of financial collapse, a Pennsylvania judge allowed an amendment that will allow the artwork to move to a location that would be able to accommodate more visitors.
This past summer, realizing that they are now losing the Barnes, the neighborhood group increased the number of visitors it will allow. The foundation, however, maintains that the increased revenue would still not be enough and is proceeding with plans for the move.
A new site near the Philadelphia Museum of Art has been secured, and this autumn the foundation selected Tod Williams and Billie Tsien of New York to design the new facility, which they anticipate will open at the end of 2009.
Legally, the new location must replicate the gallery layout and re-hang each piece as it is currently displayed in the foundation. With the facility’s added educational spaces and better lighting, the new building could allow enhanced views of the collection’s most celebrated masterpieces, such as "The Dance" (1932) by Matisse and "The Card Players" (1890–92) by Cézanne.
Yet any new construction and embellishments will lack the patina of age and the feeling of history that permeates the existing space. Romantics who would like to experience the country manor-like ambience and avoid the crowds at the foundation, should head to Merion sooner rather than later.
Art&Antiques correspondent Rebecca Dimling Cochran is an independent curator and critic.
Barnes Collection
610.667.0290 barnesfoundation.org