Barnes Foundation (Philadelphia)

The Barnes Foundation is more than just a gallery or a park...it has always been described as a gallery in a park, a garden in a gallery, which is astoundingly true. Through the creative imagination and work of renowned architects, Tod Williams and Billie Tsien, the Barnes Foundation is truly a sigh to behold, especially when the building itself is eco-friendly and self-sustainable in many ways. So, even if you are not a fan of art and all the fancy stuff, the building itself is not just breathtaking but it would be fun to explore the self-sustaining features added to this magnificently popular tourist hotspot.

The gray and gold limestone texture outside of the building is very gorgeous at night and even if you are merely passing by, we think that you should at least get off for a minute or two to snap a shot of it.

The Barnes Foundation stands at ninety three thousand square feet and holds strong in two-tier. The gallery is strategically-located in the Parkway Museum District where most of the museums and art galleries can be conveniently found – they are all just a party bus ride away. It would be fun to learn more about their green rood and how the surface of the building allows rain and rain water can be recycled and reused by the gallery.

With that said, the real reason people come here in the rented tour bus would be to take in the sight of the original works like 59 Matisses and 69 Cezannes. The exhibit also holds many other work from renowned artists from the likes of Picasso, Manet, Seurat and many, many more.

The building in itself was first built in 1922 for Barnes Foundation and for the founders to roll out an experimental educational system. They were more interested in finding a new cognitive development study which leaned towards problem-solving and critical-thinking. In 2004, the foundation was able to move to a new location downtown Philadelphia and thus, the birth of a new art gallery.