Philadelphia and the Countryside - Press Room

The culturally rich Benjamin Franklin Parkway will get even richer when the Barnes Foundation debuts its relocated collection of Impressionist, Post-Impressionist and early Modern paintings on May 19, 2012, and visitors will want to take advantage of the opportunity to visit the many museums and cultural institutions that line the mile-long stretch. Read on for insider tips on how to tour the Parkway, including the scoop on free and discounted admission hours, late-night happenings, behind-the-scenes tours and only-in-Philly experiences.

Money-Saving Tips:

1. One of the many benefits of the Barnes Foundation’s move to the Ben Franklin Parkway is its ability

Dr. Albert Barnes possessed an unmatched ability to spot and acquire important works of art. Using his eye for talent, Barnes purchased pieces at prices ranging from $300—Picasso’s Peasants and Oxen—and $100,000, and his now-famous collection, to debut on Philadelphia’s Benjamin Franklin Parkway in May 2012, is valued between $20 and $30 billion. True, Barnes did a lot of his buying on trips to Paris, but today, people can pick up fabulous art finds right in Philadelphia.

The Philadelphia region is quickly gaining a national reputation for being an ideal place to buy art of all kinds and

In 2012, the art world will be focused on Philadelphia, thanks to some major exhibitions, openings and happenings: The Philadelphia Museum of Art exhibits masterpieces by Gauguin, Cézanne and Matisse; works from Italy’s Uffizi Gallery travel to the U.S. for the first time and make a stop at the James A. Michener Art Museum; the Rodin Museum reopens after extensive renovations; and the Barnes Foundation collection debuts in its new home on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. In addition to these headline-grabbers, Philadelphia’s vast and vibrant art scene—promoted as part of the two-year, $2 million With Art Philadelphia™ campaign—boasts daily, weekly,

It may still be winter, but Philadelphia is set to bloom a little early this year thanks to a blockbuster Van Gogh exhibition that pays special attention to the artist’s floral works, the largest indoor flower show in the world and the American debut of Bruce Munro’s imaginative garden light display. Here’s a look at what’s flourishing in Philadelphia even before spring has sprung:

• 2012 promises to be a banner year for the Philadelphia Museum of Art, hosting the sure-to-be blockbuster Van Gogh Up Close, running from February 1-May 6. The exhibit explores the painter’s deep immersion into nature, including

Art collector and progressive thinker Dr. Albert Barnes was committed to showing the influence of African art on modern Western artists—a practice that’s evident in the unique wall ensembles he arranged at his famed Barnes Foundation. Today, these still-in-tact arrangements, which boldly show the cross-cultural connections of art, are lauded throughout the art community. As the May 2012 opening of the Barnes Foundation’s Philadelphia campus approaches, area art institutions honor Barnes’ early push to recognize artistic expression from across the Diaspora by showing off their African and African-American art offerings. Here’s a look at what’s on view both permanently and

Throughout the Philadelphia region, art spills out of galleries and into the great outdoors. Many of the region’s galleries and museums are set amid colorful gardens, quiet woodlands or serene meadows that accentuate the art found on the walls. One of the most anticipated museum openings ever in Philadelphia: the Barnes Foundation—renowned for its monumental collection of Impressionist, Post-Impressionist and early Modern paintings—will have equally impressive open space and gardens for visitors to enjoy when it opens its Philadelphia campus on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in May 2012. Despite its expansive 93,000-square-foot new home, the Barnes will feature intimate

While Philadelphia has always enjoyed and promoted its greenspace—of chief importance when city designer William Penn developed his “greene countrie town”—modern city planners and dwellers are now concertedly bringing them to the forefront once again. 2011 welcomed the addition of many new parks and public spaces, and 2012 will bring even more. Here’s a look at what’s here and what’s next:

Parkway Museums District:

• The Benjamin Franklin Parkway, which will welcome the renowned Barnes Foundation in May 2012, has been under renovation for more than a decade, with city planners focusing on improving pedestrian access and sprucing up public

Surrounding the iconic Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Fairmount/Art Museum neighborhood holds a personality distinct from nearby Center City. A mile of monumental art institutions, a massive abandoned prison, beer- and food-centric hangouts, invested residents and an independent spirit make this part of a city a destination all its own.

Restaurants And Bars:

• Angelino’s Restaurant & Pizzeria – Those with a craving for pasta with homemade sauce, oven-baked pizzas, fresh sandwiches and a neighborhood atmosphere go to this bring-your-own-bottle (BYOB) shop. 849-51 N. 25^th Street, (215) 787-9945, angelinosrap.com
• The Belgian Café – From the same people responsible for

The Barnes Foundation is in the process of moving its art collection from its original location in Merion, Pennsylvania to the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia. The relocation is in response to the need for a facility that can accommodate greater numbers of visitors than is possible in Merion.

THE MAN & HIS COLLECTION:

Who: Albert Barnes

• Born in Philadelphia to parents of modest means in 1872
• Graduate of Central High School and the University of Pennsylvania Medical School
• Made his fortune as co-developer of an antiseptic compound called Algyrol
• Strong belief in non-discriminatory access to art
• Established the

Much Ado About Arboretums
In part because the Quakers who settled in Pennsylvania were meticulous about identifying and cataloguing the forms of natural life they discovered here, the Philadelphia region is internationally recognized for its wealth of arboretums. Chestnut Hill’s Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania is the official arboretum of Pennsylvania and boasts the only fernery in North America. Its award-winning permanent exhibit, Out on a Limb – a Tree Adventure, transports visitors 50 feet high into the treetops on a canopy walk that requires no climbing. Showcasing the arboretum’s commitment to sustainability, the Horticulture Center Complex has

This is a Philadelphia Museum of Art press release.

When visitors from around the country and beyond arrive in Philadelphia to see Van Gogh Up Close—the highly-anticipated international loan exhibition for which the Philadelphia Museum of Art is the only U.S. venue—they will have their choice of four exclusive hotel packages that combine a premier overnight experience with tickets to the post-Impressionist feast for the eyes at the Museum, as well as 15% off Amtrak tickets, 10% off in the Museum Store, and a special celebratory van Gogh dessert in the Museum’s Stephen Starr-operated Granite Hill restaurant.

Travelers can

This is a Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts press release.

In celebration of the debut of the Barnes Foundation in its new home on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA)
presents PAFA and Dr. Barnes, on view April 7 through July 8, exploring the connections between the Pennsylvania Academy and Dr. Albert Barnes. This exhibition will feature works from the permanent collection that relate to Barnes’s tastes and philosophy, as well as works by his friends (such as William J. Glackens), and items from the PAFA Archives.

It was at