In the News

Philadelphia Inquirer | Henry O. Tanner's Great Painting of a Wise Old Lion Now Belongs to PAFA

The Philadelphia Inquirer's Stephan Salisbury takes a closer look at PAFA's recent acquisitions to the permanent collection. PAFA acquired alumnus Henry Ossawa Tanner's portrait of Pomp the lion, completed in the 1880s:

Henry Ossawa Tanner, one of the nation’s most celebrated artists, happened to be a great painter of lions, a skill honed when the young art student was repeatedly dispatched to sketch at the Philadelphia Zoo by one of his most exacting teachers, Thomas Eakins.

Several Tanner lions can be seen in museums around the country, and now the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts has acquired its own, completed when Tanner was a student there.


About PAFA

Founded in 1805, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts is the United States’ first school and museum of fine arts. A recipient of the National Medal of Arts, PAFA offers a world-class collection of American art, innovative exhibitions of historic and contemporary American art, and educational opportunities in the fine arts. The PAFA Museum aims to tell America's diverse story through art, expanding who has been included in the canon of art history through its collections, exhibitions, and public programs, while classes educate artists and appreciators with a deep understanding of traditions and the ability to challenge conventions. PAFA’s esteemed alumni include Mary Cassatt, Njideka Akunyili Crosby, William Glackens, Barkley L. Hendricks, Violet Oakley, Louis Kahn, David Lynch, and Henry Ossawa Tanner.