Barnes Foundation

The Barnes Foundation overlooking the city. Photo Credit: Photo Courtesy of the Barnes Foundation

The Barnes Foundation overlooking the city. Photo Credit: Photo Courtesy of the Barnes Foundation

Barnes Foundation

Established in 1922 as the legacy of Albert and Laura Barnes, The Barnes Foundation is a world-class art collection and arboretum built to encourage appreciation and education for both historic-artistic expression and the art of nature.

With one of the best collections of Post-Impressionist and Early Modern art, The Barnes award-winning collection includes over 3,000 works with 46 Picassos, 7 Van Goghs, and 181 Renoirs. Other artists include Cezanne, Matisse, Modigliani, Maurice Prendergast, Charles Demuth, and other masters of the canvas. A world-class collection, The Barnes also has in its possession several artifacts of practical, decorative, and ceremonial use from Africa, Native American tribes, and works from the Mediterranean and Asian countries. When you’re visiting with your group, make sure to request a guided tour of your favorite artist’s works or of a select gallery. You can visit the museum Wednesday through Monday, 10 am-5 pm, or every first Friday 6-9 pm.

Laura Barnes’ famed arboretum is a 12-acre wonderland on the site of the Barnes estate, only eight miles from the art collection museum. Here you can stroll through the fragrant gardens of lilacs, lilies, and magnolia trees or picnic beneath a redwood tree or monkey-puzzle tree. More than 2,000 species of trees and plants call this early 20th-century style arboretum home. The arboretum opened for the season on May 1, 2015, and you can visit Friday through Sunday 10 am-4 pm.