Free (Or Almost Free) Art

Philadelphia Museum of Art

Who doesn't love a bargain?  Even better when the item is free, right?  Certainly I couldn't say no to the idea of spending a rainy Sunday trolling Philadelphia's art museums with free or nearly so admission.

The Barnes Foundation

Tim and I needed a diversion for the afternoon since Jillian was trying to catch up on a work project.  Luckily, we were there on the first Sunday of May because each month on the first Sunday the Barnes Foundation throws open its doors with free admission to Philadelphia city dwellers and visitors alike.

George De Chirico, Dr. Albert C. Barnes, 1926 [Oil on canvas], The Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia.

The founder Dr. Albert C. Barnes left his working-class neighborhood in Philadelphia to study medicine and later invented the anti-blindness antiseptic Argyrol which propelled him into wealth.  He used his fortune to amass one of the world's finest private collections of art, including 69 paintings by Cezanne, 59 by Matisse, 7 by van Gogh, 46 by Picasso, and an astonishing 181 by Renoir as well as dozens of Old Master paintings by El Greco, Veronese, Tintoretto, Durer, Rubens and others.

Wanting to share his passion, he hung paintings in his pharmaceutical factory and held two-hour after-work seminars for his employees to discuss the works.  He offered educational seminars and invited art students--but never art critics--to view his collection.  Growing more and more irascible and possessive regarding his collection, he willed that "all of paintings should remain exactly in the places they are at the time of [his] death."  So much for his wishes!  Litigation to open the Barnes Foundation to the public began seven months after his death.  No doubt Albert must be rolling in his grave to see the crowds of visitors who have flocked to see his collection, not to mention the museum's free hours of admission.

Leaving the Barnes, Tim and I still had time to kill so we walked up Benjamin Franklin Parkway to the Philadelphia Museum of Art.  By this point, Tim was only accompanying me so he could survey the city from the top of the museum's steps, the same vantage point as Rocky Balboa, Sylvester Stallion's character, in the movie "Rocky."  But once again we found a bargain that even Tim could not turn down.  This museum offers 'pay-what-you-wish' admission to the museum on the first Sunday of each month.

Augustus Saint-Gaudens, Diana 1892-1893, [Gilded copper sheets], Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Walking through the museum's massive doors, no one can miss seeing "Diana", the winged sculpture by Augustus Saint-Gaudens.  Its gold leaf finish dazzles the eye even as it invites visitors to meet it at the summit of the stairs.

Vincent van Gogh, Sunflowers, 1888 or 1889 [Oil on canvas], Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Being born in the Sunflower State, my goal was to find Vincent van Gogh's painting, "Sunflowers, 1888 or 1889."  I willingly admit that I'm just as obsessed with the sunflowers as van Gogh was.  After all, he painted seven versions of this wildflower that so graces the country roads of Kansas.

Jacob Lawrence, The Libraries Are Appreciated, 1943, [Opaque watercolor over graphite on textured cream wove paper], Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Another painting I liked was Jacob Lawrence's "The Libraries Are Appreciated, 1943, From the Harlem series, No. 28.  The Harlem Branch Library of the New York Public Library at 9 West 124th Street."  As the work's title suggests, for many African Americans who migrated north to Lawrence's city of Harlem, the library was a place of sanctuary where they could pursue learning that was open to all.  Such a sentiment warmed this old librarian's heart.

So if you are ever in Philadelphia on the first Sunday of the month, you can find some real bargains if you're looking for art.