A Weekend’s Worth of Beauty
Two Venues of Venerable Art

Kate Sykes, chair of the fine arts department, planned and conducted an overnight visit to Philadelphia for 24 art students over the weekend of February 27, thanks to the generosity of two Blair parents who wish to remain anonymous. These lucky scholars were treated to two incredible venues – the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Barnes Foundation in Merion, Pa.

Works by Pablo Picasso (Spanish, 1881–1973) as well as expatriate artists such as Marc Chagall, Jacques Lipchitz, Patrick Henry Bruce, and Man Ray, are on display at the Philadelphia Museum of Art through April 25 in a special show entitled, Picasso and the Avant-Garde in Paris. As the museum notes in its promotional material, this exhibition is drawn from the museum’s “extraordinary collection of paintings, sculptures, prints and drawings by Picasso, with additional loans from private American collections. Two-hundred fourteen paintings, sculptures and works on paper are on view, including Picasso’s Three Musicians (see image).

After exploring the Picasso exhibit and enjoying some of Philadelphia (including food at the Reading Terminal Market!), students continued the next day to experience The Barnes Foundation. Located in a 12-acre arboretum, the Foundation is home to one of the world’s largest collections of Impressionist, Post-Impressionist and early Modern paintings, with works by Picasso, Matisse, Cézanne, Renoir and Modigliani, as well as important examples of African sculpture. The Barnes Foundation was established by Albert C. Barnes – scientist, pharmacist and art connoisseur (see his book cover) – in 1922 to “promote the advancement of education and the appreciation of the fine arts.” Despite much heated controversy, the Barnes will move next year from its location in Merion to a new home on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia. Thus, this weekend art trip provided Blair students with the opportunity to enjoy Mr. Barnes’ vast collection in its original space. Kate and the Blair group were accompanied by art teacher Rita Baragona, along with art aficionados Roy Wilson, science teacher, and Melanie McMahon, communications director.

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Posted 3/1/2010

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