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State of the Art

Pictured: Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts

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May 24, 2013

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May 22, 2013

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Philadelphia is a city of firsts, and it holds a first in the art category too: the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts is the oldest art museum in the country, founded in 1805 by Charles Willson Peale, a painter himself who also fathered distinguished artists, Rembrandt and Raphaelle Peale — two of his seven sons.

Philadelphia was also home to Thomas Eakins, whose penetrating portraits of 19th-century Philadelphians make him arguably the greatest American painter. And this area has nurtured several “schools” of art, from the Pennsylvania Impressionists to the Ashcan school, led by Pennsylvania Academy teacher Robert Henri.

Featured Listings

  • Art for the Cash Poor

    Annual affordable artwork sale and festival at InLiquid

    Art for the Cash Poor is held at the Crane Arts Building.

    Enhance your personal art collection without breaking the bank at InLiquid’s annual Art for the Cash Poor.

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  • Hidden City Festival

    Contemporary art in forgotten city sites

    The Metropolitan Opera House.

    Find beauty amongst the abandoned, obscure and inaccessible sites around Philadelphia during the second annual Hidden City Festival.

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  • Ellsworth Kelly: Sculpture On The Wall

    Larger than life anniversary exhibition at the Barnes in Philadelphia

    Ellsworth Kelly’s “Barnes Totem” outside the Barnes in Philadelphia.

    The Barnes Foundation is celebrating its first anniversary on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway with a special exhibition highlighting the works of famed artist Ellsworth Kelly.

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  • Tides of Freedom
    African Presence on the Delaware River

    Compelling new exhibition at the Independence Seaport Museum

    Independence Seaport Museum on the Delaware River.

    Uncover 300-years of history and the African experience along in Philadelphia during Tides of Freedom: African Presence on the Delaware River, a new exhibition at the Independence Seaport Museum.

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  • The Art of Golf at the
    Philadelphia Museum of Art

    Highlighting the historic depictions of golfing over the centuries

    The Golfers, 1847, by Charles Lees. Oil on canvas, 51 1/2 × 84 1/4 inches (130.8 × 214 cm). Scottish National Portrait Gallery: Purchased with the assistance of the Heritage Lottery Fund, The Art Fund, and the Royal and Ancient Gold Club, 2002.

    Coinciding with the upcoming U.S. Open Championship at Merion Golf Club, the Philadelphia Museum of Art is hosting a new exhibition honoring The Art of Golf.

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  • Philadelphia Museum of Art

    The Art Museum covers 10 acres and houses more than 300,000 works spanning 2,000 years

    Front steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art

    Like Philadelphia’s own Parthenon, the Philadelphia Museum of Art sits majestically on a rise at the end of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. The vast collections of this temple of art make it the third-largest art museum in the country, and an absolute must-see on the city’s cultural circuit.

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  • “Great and Mighty Things”: Outsider Art from the Jill and Sheldon Bonovitz Collection

    Powerful works from untrained artists at the Philadelphia Museum of Art

    “Boffo”, William L. Hawkins, American, 1895 – 1990

    Featuring more than 200 works by 27 self-taught American artists, “Great and Mighty Things” at the Philadelphia Museum of Art examines the intersection of outsider art with mainstream modern art.

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  • Fleisher Art Memorial

    The people’s palette

    Fleisher is a unique and inspiring space that hosts a large number of affordable classes and educational opportunities in addition to art shows and events.

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  • Jed Williams Studio

    Art for all

    A representation of the artistic DIY spirit of Bella Vista and Philly as a whole, Jed Williams’ community-oriented gallery is a winning launchpad for emerging artists.

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  • Kelly Writers House

    A place for pens at Penn

    Penn students, faculty, staff and alumni founded this gathering space for writers inside an actual 13-room house on campus. Each semester, the staff hosts around 150 public programs and projects that include poetry readings, film screenings, seminars, dinners, workshops, art exhibits and musical performances.

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