Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts

Just visited during student exhibit. An art museum where you can purchase student art! Terrific work and lots of fun. I’m looking forward to visiting often!

I went there yesterday to see an exhibition of works by Norman Lewis. I’ve never been there before and was truly amazed by how great this place is. It’s three levels, the main floor had the Lewis exhibition, downstairs was a sculpture exhibit and upstairs an exhibit by Academy faculty and students. Yesterday was free admission day meaning I saved $ 30 for two people which was an added plus. If you’re in Philly it’s a great place to spend some time.

Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts (PAFA) consists of two buildings and two sculptures in between the buildings. There’s an enormous orange paintbrush the size of a small building and an airplane between the Historic Landmark Building (which houses great interior architecture) and the more modern Hamilton building.
PAFA was established in 1805 as the first art school and museum in the country. Their Historic building houses a lot of work from their alumni as well as other American paintings, lithography prints, and sculptures from the 19^th and 20^th century. I spent a lot of time admiring the brush strokes on the oil paintings. Some of them are done so well and look three-​dimensional from far away! Both buildings also featured the artwork of Norman Lewis, an abstract/​cubism artist hailing from Harlem, NYC who tried to capture the social movements of the 1920s, especially the struggles of African Americans in an urban environment.
Admissions is $ 15 for both buildings ($ 12 students and free with student IDs from some PA schools).

Truly a world class museum. The art is top notch, and the subjects of much of the the art is right here in Philadelphia. The descriptions that accompany the art gives you a great self tour too. Many times I feel mixed feelings when visiting museums but here it was 100 percent positive and thought provoked. I would definitely come here again.

PAFA isn’t the must see art museum in Philly but it’s worth a couple hours of your time if you’re an art fan. There are two buildings — the historic building in of itself is a draw, but I am not a fan of most of the art they have there. However, if you are a David Lynch fan, do stop in to see «Six Men Getting Sick», which was his first short film.
Between the historic building and the new building, you’ll find the Oldenburg and the Griska sculptures, both worth your time to take a look out.
In the contemporary arts building, there are quite a few standout pieces. Be sure to take in the views of the city from the upstairs floor to ceiling windows. The gift shop is in this building as well. Like most art museum gift shops, it is full of cool artsy treasures.

What, I surpassed 400 reviews?!
This review is for one of their Mural Arts trolley tours, specifically, Mural Masterpieces West ($ 30 general admission). They also offer trolley tours through Center City, and to the East of Broad Street, as well as walking tours, train tours, and segway tours to see the rest of the «City of Murals» public art.
Easy to check-​in at the PAFA lobby to get your official sticker indicating you’re with the tour group, the trolley was already waiting outside on the curb prior to departure. There is one tour guide who is mic’ed while the trolley is in motion, to tell you all about the pieces along the route. Mad props to the trolley driver lady, she must be a magician by shrinking down the bus to make tight turns, and for driving slowly when possible so we could see the artwork a little longer when not able to get down from the trolley.
It was a very informative tour, sharing the history of the public mural arts projects surrounding neighborhood youth crime and prisoner programs, the artistic process of designing a new piece and executing it on special cloth rather than directly onto the walls, as well as the different artists, styles, and reasons for selecting particular locations such as schools.
There was some really great imagery including Martin Luther King, Jr., animal theme near the Philadelphia Zoo, one of Patti LaBelle, Tuskegee Airmen, one addressing teen suicides, as well as one depicting patients at the Children’s Hospital, etc.
Some newer murals to be dedicated (as of early August 2015) included one for the baseball team, the Phillies, as well as one commemorating the Papal Visit, with an image of Pope Francis to be painted at a particular parish/​school. It really does seem like the Mural Capital of the World!

The Museum of the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts (which also runs an art school) contains an outstanding collection of American art from colonial time to the present. The original Gothic Revival building by Furness and Hewitt which opened in 1876 is an architectural landmark inside and out, although unfortunately that also presents serious accessibility problems, unlike the so-​called Hamilton Building next door which dates from 1916 – although it only became part of the Academy in 1999 and was named for donor Samuel M.V. Hamilton in 2002; the two are not connected. Highlights of the collection include major history paintings by Benjamin West; full-​length portraits of George Washington by C.W. Peale and Gilbert Stuart; works by many members of the Peale family, including Charles Wilson Peale’s great The Artist in His Museum (1822); canvases of the Hudson River school; sculptures in marble and bronze; and works by the likes of W.M. Chase, Cecilia Beaux, H.O. Tanner, C. Hassam and Stuart Davis among many others. The Museum holds one less work by Edward Hopper than it used to, having controversially sold-​off one of its two canvases by that artist in 2013 to buy «contemporary art.» They host an active special exhibition program in the Hamilton building, which also has a gift shop and modest café.

I went to PAFA when they hosted a knitting circle in front of Peter Blume’s beautiful work, Tasso’s Oak. I did partake in the circle, knitting to my heart’s content, and I also perused the artwork that Mr. Blume left this world, a highly underrated collection I must say!
The museum itself is beautifully laid out and they even have a café. I highly recommend this place.

the museum is beautiful and i love the giant paintbrush outside by claes oldenburg. the staff is friendly and helpful. meg is awesome! this girl knows everything about this place! they just opened a coffee shop from what i hear and a restaurant. also, the mural arts tour department just moved in. i’m gonna have to make a trip back soon! exciting stuff!

Great place to go in the city! If you go on a Sunday you can find street parking within a half a mile for free. The exhibits are amazing! In the lower level of the Hamilton building is student art work displayed that is for sale as well. If you have a student ID it is only $ 12 admission and well money spent. You can see all the exhibits in the galleries in less than 2 hours.

Great place to visit if you have an hour or two and want to see some great art and some great architecture. There’s the old historical building that houses older works (some of them are enormous) and sculptures and there are modern works next door. And a crashed airplane full of plants, a giant ass paintbrush, and a big orange swirl of poo in between the buildings.
Make sure not to miss the student gallery which changes often in the basement of the Hamilton (more modern) building. A must-​see exhibit is when PAFA students display their artwork (a lot of which is for sale) on three floors of the Hamilton Building in May of every year. For even more fun, make sure to visit when the students open their studios for public tours on the upper floors of the Hamilton Building.
The staff here are very friendly and there is ample parking close by. It’s only a few blocks from Love Park and Reading Terminal Market in case you want a break or a bite to eat.

I really wished we had entered the building. Had I known it was free to go inside, I would’ve totally gone inside!
We did have the outside art installations which my nieces loved especially the paint brush. The airplane was prety cool as well. But definitely go at night as they do light up and look a whole lot cooler.

PROS: The old building. David Lynch exhibition, incredible architecture, great salon style gallery, incredible old portraits and sculptures. Just the right size small but not tiny museum.
CONS: The new building. Horribly mounted Eiko photography exhibit, uninviting layout, crappy student artwork, crappy professors’ still life works. Yawn.
What a gem. I have lived in Philly for three years but it was the David Lynch exhibition that finally got me to PAFA. The exhibition was really well installed in large beautiful galleries with so much space to enjoy the work. It was a real pleasure. And a fantastic detail of note — whom ever picked the pale purple background wall color for the Lynch exhibition, you nailed it. It was so nice to not see contemporary work against a stark white background.
While my main interest these days is modern art, their collection of American paints and sculpture dating back to the 1700s is stunning and just the right size to enjoy for half an hour without feeling overwhelmed. The building itself is incredible inside, not just the ornamentation but the layout, light, and flow of the rooms is just spot on.
I wish I could say the same for the new building next door. Our experience there was maybe a two star. There was an Eiko photography exhibit installed on a grid going up a two story wall, so most of what you were looking at was a good 10 — 20 feet away. I really like Eiko and Koma and was eager to see her photos. The ones at eye level were gorgeous but it was so horribly installed I couldn’t really take any of it in.
The other work in the rest of the building was amateur hour: boring still life paintings from professors and a student show curated by two profs. If what I saw speaks to the current talent of the student body, I was super unimpressed. It looked like high school work at best. It was quite startling to see compared to the work by master students in the main building ranging from Peale to Lynch.

We drove up to Philly just for the David Lynch exhibition. PAFA was conveniently locate in the city center it was a short walk from the hotel. The PAFA building was a wonderful space to spend a few hours. It had an interesting architecture and well maintained. The David Lynch exhibition was very enjoyable it was spread over three levels, the art installation was on the first floor, some drawings of the people who attended PAFA during or around David Lynch’s time was on the second floor and the main exhibition was on the top floor at the very end. I learnt a lot about the director it was very enjoyable experience! Hope to visit PAFA again next time!

I was here yesterday for the David Lynch exhibit and i’ve never seen such a majestic place! The inside is as beautiful as the pieces it houses. Will definitely be on the lookout for more events happening here. Also, love the KAWS art.

Are you feeling bored on a Sunday? Low on cash? Need to kill some time? Then head on over to PAFA. They have free admissions on Sundays until April 6, 2014. Your welcome i just saved you $ 15. Sundays are also a great day to go, certain streets are free parking. I just wished we came couple weeks earlier to see KAWS. I love, love, love the historic building. As soon as I walked in I was amazed at the colors and architecture. I could see why private events are held here. The historic building had decent galleries; the collections were more historic than the new building. The new building was currently exhibiting mural arts of Philadelphia.

I was here for the first time the other night for the PAFA after dark event and it was awesome! The building is beautiful, large grand staircases, high ceilings, lots of different rooms with paintings. The event was amazing!
For only $ 10 we got admission, coat check, delicious Starr catered food (hummus, tzatziki, tapenade, pasta salad, chicken, chick pea salad, and some other delicious salad), craft station to make valentines and paper flowers (I fricking love crafts), and entertainment in the form of pin the leaf on the nude AND a burlesque show which was definitely the highlight of the night! It was also hilarious seeing a somewhat older art crowd unsure how to react to the dancers… who stripped down to their underwear, sang, and danced their way around this awesome space. Some husbands were definitely going to be in the doghouse later for oggling these amazing dancers. There were also discussions going on somewhere which we missed because we were so busy with crafting! Drinks were $ 5 each and the gin martini special was super strong and delicious!
Would definitely recommend attending events like this in the future or holding an event here! The only downside was that the acoustics in the place were terrible and we were only a few feet away from the emcee and we couldn’t understand anything he was saying!

Oldest art museum in the western hemisphere… one of the world’s best collections of American art … an ingenious and iconic main building from the creativity of Frank Furness … a very useful modern addition with an outdoor plaza … what’s not to like about the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia?

Of course what caught my attention to visit PAFA this past month was the KAWS exhibit that is still going on until January 5^th, 2013. If you don’t know KAWS you may have seen his work before without knowing. He designed the most recent moon man for the 2013 MTV Music Awards. What I loved about this museum is the KAWS pieces were blended in with the permanent pieces in the PAFA’s art collection. So you get a mixture of classic contemporary art and then a surprise splash of pop culture and bright colors from KAWS’ work, which isn’t often done in other exhibitions or museums. As well as they have separate galleries and exhibitions inside the building with the gift shop as well. The one currently on display reflected the beautiful murals and graffiti displayed all throughout Philadelphia.
PS If you’re a student show your ID and get a discounted price!

Frank Furness is the man. One of my all time favorite architects. I love the building itself, both the outside and the inside. I’m also a fan of the art collection inside — impressive to look at. I like the fact that they highlight past students and faculty of PAFA, and as one other reviewer mentioned, a wide variety of woman artists.
The newer building is also enjoyable and the two together will definitely provide you with a well-​rounded art viewing experience.
Most recently I attended the KAWS PAFA After Dark event — it was totally cool! The juxtaposition between the modern and classical art was visually interesting. They had a DJ playing, breakdancers performing, alcohol, cheese and other snacks, and all the hip people of Philadelphia in attendance. I was impressed by the work of PAFA to integrate the old and the new into a perfect mixture.

The Academy is a part of American art history. From the Peale paintings of Washington, to the Furness building itself, the academy has played a central roll over two centuries in nurturing artistic vision in such great painters as Thomas Eakins and Mary Cassatt. The gallery itself is stunning… with intricate detailing, and skylit galleries and bold colors, the both enhance and distract from the art itself. Two permanent Tiffany windows take your breath away with their delicate intricacy and vibrant color.
Special exhibits here are small, sometimes as small as one room, enabling the curators to make concise statements without sapping the energy of the patron in a marathon experience that leaves a patron exhausted rather than exhilarated. All in all the Academy, along with the Philadelphia Museum, the Rodin Museum and the Brandywine Museum are must dos for the art lover of the Delaware Valley.

The lack of reviews shows what a hidden gem this place is. Looking stately on Broad, this place is completely gorgeous.
We entered in the modern wing next door to the main museum. You pay for tickets at the cashier in the gift shop and then you’re on your way. «The Female Gaze,» an exhibit showcasing female artists past and present, was really interesting and different from anything I’ve seen before. The emotion and focus on the self, children, the home, and sexuality was really moving (then again, I am a female). It also struck me that when you go to a museum almost every single piece from every era is made by a man, so this whole other perspective was really refreshing. It was interesting also how women portray their own bodies and bodies of other women versus the classic male-​depicted female form. Not to mention the second floor offers a great view of the classical building and Broad Street.
Admission gets you into both wings, so off you go to the other building where you’re greeted with stunning architecture and «The Gross Clinic» by Thomas Eakins, which seems to be the major work of the museum. This building has a small collection of American art and sculpture and you’ll see your old friends Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, and Abraham Lincoln quite a bit.
Go check this place out. Also, as a perk, jf you’re a Bank of America credit or debit card holder you get in free the first Saturday and Sunday of each month. Total win.