Founded in 1805 as the first school and museum of fine arts in the United States, PAFA is a National Medal of Arts recipient that celebrates the transformative power of American art and art-making through its collections, exhibitions, and education programs.
The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) has received a $134,000 grant from the Getty Foundation to offer a traveling seminar on contemporary prints for early-career curators, organized by the Brodsky Center, and to be held in April 2020. This initiative’s primary focus is on training and…
PAFA is pleased to announce the election of five new members to its Board of Trustees: Valentine James "Jim" Link, Jr., Kenneth Mitchell, Sandra "Sandy" Norcross, Joel Koppelman, and Njideka Akunyili Crosby (Cert. '06).
PAFA has acquired 111 historic, modern, and contemporary works to its permanent collection—including one of the earliest painted views of the Schuylkill River by artist George Beck. In addition, PAFA added works by the Brandywine Workshop, Helen Frankenthaler, Charles Grafly, John Rhoden, Aaron…
The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts has several new acquisitions and contemporary works from the permanent collection on view this summer in the Historic Landmark Building. Artists featured in PAFA's summer curatorial programming include Barkley L. Hendricks, Wangechi Mutu, Jeffrey Stockbridge…
PAFA has been awarded $75K from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) in order to process, catalog, digitize, and make publicly available an archival collection documenting the life and career of the late African American artist John W. Rhoden.
PAFA is pleased to present "Multitudes: Walt Whitman at 200" (May 3–September 1, 2019), an exhibition curated by PAFA's Youth Council program. To celebrate the poet Walt Whitman’s 200-year legacy, this exhibition will juxtapose figurative works of Whitman with a medley of historic, modern, and…
The late Estelle Barenbaum Rubens has given nearly $8 million to PAFA school officials have announced. The bequest gift will support student scholarships and tuition for PAFA students. Rubens passed away at the age of 88 and spent almost 15 years guiding museum tours at PAFA as a docent.
The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) announced the addition of 130 historic, modern, and contemporary works to its permanent collection. Acquisition highlights feature works by an array of historical and contemporary artists, including George Hitchcock, William J. Glackens, Wangechi Mutu…
PAFA students Justine Ditto '17 and Alyssa Ebinger '18 have been accepted into the prestigious lithography program at the Tamarind Institute in New Mexico. Each year, eight students are accepted into the program; this year, two of the eight selected are from PAFA. Tamarind’s Printer Training Program…
PAFA is proud to announce the acquisition of nearly 80 artworks from the collection of the prominent American educator, civic leader, and arts advocate, Dr. Constance E. Clayton. The collection, which spans the late 19th to the late 20th centuries, contains works primarily by African American…
PAFA is pleased to announce that 12 recipients have received funding for their work through the Fine Arts Venture Fund (FAVF). The fund was established in 2014 to support students' artistic goals and encourage their developing professional practices. This year, the FAVF awarded over $24,000 to 12…
PAFA is pleased to announce the opening of "Intimate Immensity," on view February 15–April 7, 2019, in the Samuel M.V. Hamilton Building. Curated by PAFA faculty member Alexis Granwell, "Intimate Immensity" pairs contemporary sculptors with selections from the Brodsky Center and rarely-shown works…
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us at visitorservices@pafa.org — we’d love to help!
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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.
