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Renoir in the Barnes Foundation
A spectacular survey of the world's most comprehensive collection of works by the Impressionist master Renoir
The Barnes Foundation is home to the world's largest collection of paintings by Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919). Dr. Albert C. Barnes, a Philadelphia scientist who made his fortune in pharmaceuticals, established the Foundation in 1922 in Merion, Pennsylvania, as an educational institution devoted to the appreciation of the fine arts. A passionate supporter of European modernism, Barnes built a collection that was virtually unrivaled, with massive holdings by Paul Cézanne, Henri Matisse, and Pablo Picasso. But it was Renoir that Barnes admired above all other artists; he thought of him as a god and collected his work tenaciously, amassing 181 works by the painter between 1912 and 1942. All of these Renoirs are included in this lavishly illustrated book. Renoir in the Barnes Foundation tells the fascinating story of Barnes's obsession with the Impressionist master's late works, while offering illuminating new scholarship on the works themselves. Authors Martha Lucy and John House look closely at the key paintings in the collection, placing them in the wider contexts of contemporary artistic, aesthetic, and theoretical debates. The first volume to publish the entirety of Barnes's astonishing Renoir collection, Renoir in the Barnes Foundation is also an engaging study of the artist's critical—and often contested—role in the development of modern art.
Published in association with the Barnes Foundation
The Barnes Foundation is home to the world's largest collection of paintings by Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919). Dr. Albert C. Barnes, a Philadelphia scientist who made his fortune in pharmaceuticals, established the Foundation in 1922 in Merion, Pennsylvania, as an educational institution devoted to the appreciation of the fine arts. A passionate supporter of European modernism, Barnes built a collection that was virtually unrivaled, with massive holdings by Paul Cézanne, Henri Matisse, and Pablo Picasso. But it was Renoir that Barnes admired above all other artists; he thought of him as a god and collected his work tenaciously, amassing 181 works by the painter between 1912 and 1942. All of these Renoirs are included in this lavishly illustrated book. Renoir in the Barnes Foundation tells the fascinating story of Barnes's obsession with the Impressionist master's late works, while offering illuminating new scholarship on the works themselves. Authors Martha Lucy and John House look closely at the key paintings in the collection, placing them in the wider contexts of contemporary artistic, aesthetic, and theoretical debates. The first volume to publish the entirety of Barnes's astonishing Renoir collection, Renoir in the Barnes Foundation is also an engaging study of the artist's critical—and often contested—role in the development of modern art.
Published in association with the Barnes Foundation
392 pages, Hardcover
First published February 22, 2011
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About the author
John House
50 books9 followersJohn Peter Humphrey House was a British art historian and lecturer.
You may be looking for John C. House, American poet and novelist
John House was the doyen of historians of impressionism. Far from being lightweight or ingratiating, the impressionists were revealed in House's writings as sharp observers of social change; instead of being a self-contained movement, they were shown to be clever negotiators of artistic conventions and institutions. As well as playing an essential role in transforming the academic study of this period, House presided over the development of its public appreciation through the spectacular exhibitions that he curated.
You may be looking for John C. House, American poet and novelist
John House was the doyen of historians of impressionism. Far from being lightweight or ingratiating, the impressionists were revealed in House's writings as sharp observers of social change; instead of being a self-contained movement, they were shown to be clever negotiators of artistic conventions and institutions. As well as playing an essential role in transforming the academic study of this period, House presided over the development of its public appreciation through the spectacular exhibitions that he curated.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 6, 2025
It’s been over a decade since The Barnes Foundation moved to its new building and location near the Philadelphia Art Museum and Rodin Museum. A lovely day can be spent strolling among these and other treats on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.
Though some of the Barnes collection goes on tour, the main body of its Impressionist and post-Impressionist art is always there. And, that includes over 180 works by Piere Auguste Renoir. If you are a devote of paintings of apple-cheeked nude women (many of the same woman at different points of her life), this is the place to go.
This book is intended to serve multiple purposes:
• It is an introduction to the Barnes collection of Renoir
• It presents a distilled but quite adequate biography of the artist
• It captures some of the struggles of art critics to place Renoir within art history
• There is a deep-dive into subject matter, technique and their evolution.
• It can serve as a catalogue (but not one that would be easily taken with when visiting the collection.
This book isn’t a substitute for a visit to the Barnes. There is a lot for the technically-minded and detail oriented to grasp, but I would rather be there.
3.5
Though some of the Barnes collection goes on tour, the main body of its Impressionist and post-Impressionist art is always there. And, that includes over 180 works by Piere Auguste Renoir. If you are a devote of paintings of apple-cheeked nude women (many of the same woman at different points of her life), this is the place to go.
This book is intended to serve multiple purposes:
• It is an introduction to the Barnes collection of Renoir
• It presents a distilled but quite adequate biography of the artist
• It captures some of the struggles of art critics to place Renoir within art history
• There is a deep-dive into subject matter, technique and their evolution.
• It can serve as a catalogue (but not one that would be easily taken with when visiting the collection.
This book isn’t a substitute for a visit to the Barnes. There is a lot for the technically-minded and detail oriented to grasp, but I would rather be there.
3.5
August 27, 2012
Comprehensive work about Renoir and his works that are in the Barnes Foundation Collection. Well-illustrated in colour reproductions. It would be a good thing to study before visiting the collection.
September 22, 2015
Some nice paintings to admire, but more studies and portions of paintings than actual paintings. It was okay, but not really what I was expecting to see. Looking at any Renoir painting is amazing.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews