The Experience
Visitors from around the world make the pilgrimage to this lovely setting in suburban Philadelphia to savor 181 Renoirs, 69 Cézannes and 60 Matisses, along with works by Manet, Degas, Seurat, Prendergrast, Titian and Picasso. But that's just the beginning.
The real charm of the Barnes lies in the way the art is displayed – symmetrically arranged according to size, and often paired with artifacts and furniture (think: African sculpture, Pennsylvania Dutch folk art, antique Chinese paintings) organized around themes and formal elements. The scheme is the physical manifestation of the teachings of the man who collected the works, Albert C. Barnes.
The Aboretum
Behind the iron gates of Barnes's secluded suburban estate, you'll find a luscious arboretum filled with specimen trees, like the cedar of Lebanon and the Raisin tree, and formal rose and perennial gardens. A walk across the sweeping lawn and the Woodlands takes you past collections of magnolias, hollies and more than 200 varieties of lilacs. The collections of peonies and ornamental ferns are highlights of the garden.