This oil-on-canvas painting, Family Group, was painted in 1910/11 by William Glackens, and is just one of more than 80 important works that will be on view in William Glackens at The Barnes Foundation. (Image courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Ira Glackens)
Any day of the year, a visit to The Barnes Foundation on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway involves an awe-inspiring permanent collection featuring 181 Renoirs, 69 Czannes and 59 Matisses, along with works by Manet, Degas, Seurat, Prendergrast, Titian, Picasso and so much more.
This fall and winter, in addition to the remarkable collection, visitors to The Barnes will also be able to take in a momentous special exhibition: William Glackens, the first comprehensive survey of the Philadelphia-born painter in nearly half a century.
A highly curated exhibition, William Glackens brings together more than 80 works from the Barnes collection, as well as public and private collections throughout the United States.
A Philadelphia native, Glackens (1870-1938) attended Philadelphia's Central High School before going on to study at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Moreover, Glackens played an important role in the development of the Barnes’ collection itself.
During his grade school years, Glackens attended Central with none other than Albert Barnes, founder of The Barnes Foundation, and the two were close friends. Later, Glackens encouraged Barnes' appreciation of modern French painting, and Glackens even purchased art for Barnes in early 1912.
More than just a friend of Barnes, though, Glackens was an extremely important American painter with an influential career that stretched for five decades. As a painter and arts advocate, he was instrumental in changing the showing-and-selling process of art around 1908, a member of the selection committee of the 1910 Exhibition of Independent Artists and served as chairman of the American section of the 1913 Armory Show.
The Barnes exhibition represents nearly the whole of Glackens's career, spanning from the 1890s through the 1930s, but concentrates on Glackens’ most pivotal, adventurous and distinct works, including At Mouquin's and The Soda Fountain. Overall, more than 80 major paintings and works on paper are included in the long-overdue survey.
To complement the sweeping show, The Barnes has a multitude of special programming on its schedule throughout the fall and winter. Look forward to festive receptions, curator-led talks and a high-spirited, vaudeville-style First Friday event on Friday, November 7.
Admittance to the exhibition is free with price of regular museum admission, or guests can opt to become a member of The Barnes Foundation to gain access to exclusive events and enjoy free admission to the Barnes through the run of the show.
Stay tuned for more on this must-see retrospective, and make plans now to take a closer look at one of Philadelphia’s talented sons.
William Glackens
When: November 8-February 2, 2015
Where: The Barnes Foundation, 2025 Benjamin Franklin Parkway
Cost: Included in regular museum admission; Exhibition only, $10
More info: www.barnesfoundation.org
From November 8 to February 2, 2015, the Barnes Foundation presents William Glackens the first comprehensive survey of the artist's work since 1966 which includes this work, Street Cleaners, Washington Square, circa 1910. (Image courtesy The Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia and Merion)