Barnes Foundation

Established in 1922 in Merion, Pa., a Philadelphia suburb, the Barnes Foundation is known mainly for its art collection, one of the world's largest assemblages of Impressionist, Post-Impressionist and early Modern paintings. Founded by Albert C. Barnes, a physician who made his fortune in patent medicine, the Barnes also runs a school whose curriculum centers on art appreciation; a 12-acre arboretum where horticulture is taught; and Ker-Feal, an 18th-century farmhouse in Chester, Pa., where furniture and other decorative arts are on view.

The neo-classical art galleries are renowned for the breadth of the art, 181 Renoirs, 69 Cezannes, 46 Picassos and 59 Matisses, as well as works by Soutine, Rousseau, Modigliani, Monet, Degas, van Gogh, Seurat and Manet, and the highly individual way in which they are displayed.

Paintings often ascend the walls in twos and threes, often in unusual juxtapositions chosen by Barnes himself. Barnes stipulated in the foundation's charter and bylaws that the works must always be displayed just as he arranged them.

Arguing that it was strapped for cash, the Barnes petitioned a Montgomery County, Pa., court in 2002 for permission to amend the bylaws so that it could move the collection to a new site and attract more visitors and financing. The case caused a furor in the art world, with some arguing that the site's unique environment for art-viewing could never be matched elsewhere. Three charitable foundations meanwhile agreed to help the Barnes raise millions on the condition that a judge clear the way for a move to downtown Philadelphia. In 2004, a judge ruled that the Barnes could relocate. Although construction is years into the future, the foundation has chosen the husband-and-wife architecture team Tod Williams and Billie Tsien to design a new Barnes home on Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia.

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