The Barnes Foundation opens on the Parkway on May 19th and, guaranteed, there will be long lines.
If you can’t get in there, be here on May 30th at 7:30 p.m. for the last Wednesday program of the season.
The coverage of the Barnes will give you a lot of information, but will it tell you everything? Will it tell you (for instance)
+ How world-famous Bucks County novelist James Michener deceived Dr. Barnes?
+ What the Hunchback of Notre Dame (Charles Laughton) has in common with Dr. Barnes?
+ Why Albert Einstein turned down an invitation to see the collection?
These will be revealed by Dr. Sheldon Weintraub, who leveraged a lifetime interest in art into becoming a Barnes Foundation docent. He is a walking encyclopedia, filled with detailed information about the largest private collection of post-Impressionist and African art in the world. But he is also a stand-up comic and knows how to deliver a talk (with PowerPoint presentation) that is both educational and entertaining. He will cover the “secrets,” the collection, how to best view and understand it, and the battle surrounding the move of the collection from Merion to the Parkway.
As with all events, it is non-smoking and you have to be a member or a guest of a member to attend.