Barnes Foundation: William Glackens Exhibit - 6abc Loves the Arts

December 14, 2014 -- This winter the Barnes Foundation welcomes home the works of one of the museum's most influential artists.

Barnes Foundation Founder Albert Barnes and William Glackens became friends while students at Central High School in North Philadelphia. Glackens would go on to become a hugely influential artist and Barnes his main patron.

"When Barnes made his money, he re-contacted Glackens and invited him to take a trip to Paris and buy him some good paintings," explains Jan Rothschild, Senior Vice President of Communications at The Barnes Foundation

Barnes gave Glackens $20,000 for the trip, the equivalent of $500,000 today.

"Glackens came back from Paris with 33 paintings including some of the most important works in our collection," says Rothschild, "Barnes kept many of them and he was so excited about Glackens's purchases he went back to Paris himself and began purchasing and that's the founding of our collection."

But Glackens was not just a connoisseur of fine art. While studying at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, he began developing a style that would transcend other artists of his time.

"One of the things that's easy to see from this exhibition is the evolution of Glackens from an illustrator to a great modern painter," says Rothschild. "You can see him experimenting with form and shape."

Glacken's career spanned five decades. This is the first comprehensive survey of his work in nearly half a century with 90 major paintings and works on paper, some on public view for the very first time.

"You don't really have to be an art connoisseur to appreciate these works," says Rothschild. "It's really meant for everyone and Barnes wanted people to use their OWN ideas and their OWN critical thinking to appreciate art."

William Glackens is on exhibit at the Barnes through February 2nd. For tickets go to www.TheArtsinPhilly.org.