Mom and I love Impressionist and Post-Impressionst art. Wanting to spend some time with her, I decided to invite her to join me in Philadelphia for a visit to the Barnes Foundation and a private docent tour. After much research, I ascertained that not only did it hold one of the best collections of post-impressionist art (181 Renoirs!!), but had a fascinating history and presentation philosophy, all due to Mr. Albert C. Barnes. Of course, Philadelphia is also where I went to college and a vibrant city, so after even more research, I was on the phone one month ahead to the day to secure reservations at the current culinary hotspots.
Mom and I met up on Wednesday evening, and enjoyed dinner at Vernick:
as well as dessert:
and back to our hotel for a good night’s sleep.
Breakfast at the hotel and then out to the Barnes Foundation’s new location right in the city.
Originally it was in Mr. Barnes’ home, now the site of Mrs. Barnes’ horticultural legacy which includes ongoing study. Despite the court battle to break the Barnes will, which stipulated the collection had to stay located in his home in the city suburbs, the trustees of the Foundation insisted upon a building design that would honor the original walls of the home, and indeed accomplished their goal. No pictures are allowed inside the Foundation, which is on ongoing teaching facility for students from age 3 up to 63, but you can get an idea from the featured image for this blogpost or go to the website for more detail.
What’s unusual about these walls? Well in most collections or museums, paintings are hung one by one with plenty of space between and no other objects nearby. Mr. Barnes had a very different notion: he hung together pieces of art that had commonality. You can see the metal hinges and craft-like pieces that almost frame the photos. What you may not see is that each has something – a shape or feel – that if found in the art is accompanies. As well, you can see tables and ceramics places strategically to fit with its surroundings as well. Works by Jean Renoir accompany almost all of his father’s paintings; it was his father who recommended he take up ceramics as something of a therapeutic exercise while healing from war wounds. He intended to set up a ceramics factory, but later turned to film, where he became a celebrated director. But I am on a tangent here…
Thursday afternoon Stacey, the Art History major, joined us for dinner at Vedge, which was a spectacular meal. If only they would cook dinner for me every night!
Up early and off to breakfast near the Foundation at Sabrina’s Cafe & Spencer’s Too:
Then we meet up with our lovely and incredibly knowledgable docent Lori:
and another delightful and instructive day. When I first walked into the first room, I almost cried from the quantity (and quality) of amazing art on the walls. It’s really hard to take it all in and not be overwhelmed by the mastery of the artists represented there. The story of how he came to own the pieces is just as compelling, and we heard it all from our excellent guide.
It’s early afternoon and we head for lunch over to a Phillie institution, whose name you can see on the paper:
Yes, all they serve is fried chicken (with one of 3 dry rubs or 3 wet sauces) accompanied by a honey doughnut, or of course, you can order a fresh hot one in one of several flavors. We take advantage of all options!
As we are walking down the street, mom points out that we are very close to the Penn campus, so we walk two blocks over, and while Stacey and mom are sitting on a bench in the sun, I stroll down Locust walk, past the library and enjoy seeing students milling about, working at tables to promote social betterment and just hanging out. An unexpected moment.
Dinner at a private club recommended to mom by a friend (I was so full by this time that I ordered nothing) and then off on our separate ways the next morning. Mom left while we were still sleeping for her plane, and Stacey and I headed to the 30th street train station after a stellar brunch at Harp & Crown. Ah, the memories of how I used to ride that train from Philadelphia down to DC for breaks from college, and here I was covering familiar ground. Kisses goodbye, a selfie:
and off we go. She to NYC and me to DC, Dulles airport and my next adventure!