Barnes Foundation - History

History

From 1912, Barnes, who derived his fortune from his development of the antiseptic drug Argyrol and a business to sell it, began to study and collect art. He was assisted at first by the painter William Glackens, with whom he had gone to Central High School in Philadelphia and become friends. In 1912 in Paris, Barnes visited the home of Gertrude and Leo Stein, where he became familiar with the work of such Modernist artists as Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso. Commissioned by Barnes, Glackens selected the first 20 works he purchased from modern painters in Paris.

In the 1920s, Barnes became acquainted with the work of Amedeo Modigliani and Giorgio de Chirico, thanks to the dealer Paul Guillaume. In 1922, Barnes began to transform his collection into a cultural institution. That year, he chartered the Barnes Foundation as an educational institution in the state of Pennsylvania, and began construction on the current complex of buildings in Merion. Soon afterward, a taxation dispute was filed in the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.

The Barnes Gallery was built on the grounds of Captain Joseph Lapsley Wilson's arboretum, established around 1880. Barnes built his home next to the gallery, and it now serves as the administration building of the foundation. His wife Laura Barnes developed the arboretum and the horticulture program, which have become integral parts of the foundation.