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.
Philly Influencer reviews PAFA's newest exhibitions: "The world-renowned institution has flawlessly assembled an astounding group of artists in these new showcases, which collectively feature more than one hundred pieces of art."
February is Black History Month and Philadelphia Magazine's Pat Rapa named our forthcoming exhibition, "Awakened In You": The Collection of Dr. Constance E. Clayton, as one of its top picks for the month.
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.
WHYY's Peter Crimmins reviews the multi-sited exhibition, organized by University of the Arts’ Sid Sachs. Invisible City is on view at University of the Arts, the Philadelphia Art Alliance, and PAFA.
Condé Nast Traveler selects PAFA as a top museum to visit in Philadelphia: "PAFA isn't on the typical tourist track, instead drawing true art aficionados and intellectuals. Since it's also a highly regarded art school, the museum feels very alive—you get the feeling that many of your fellow perusers…
Step into the exhibition "Wharton Esherick: An Artistic Legacy Through Necessity," in PAFA's Samuel M.V. Hamilton Building, and you'll be greeted by an object that you might not expect to see in a fine art gallery. Esherick studied painting at PAFA in the early 20th century, but he is best known for…
PAFA is pleased to announce that it is the recipient of a $100,000 grant from The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. This grant will support PAFA's upcoming retrospective exhibition of work by the pioneering American painter Joan Semmel. This is PAFA's second $100,000 grant from the…
PAFA is the recipient of a $35,000 Art Works grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. This grant will support PAFA's major upcoming exhibition, "Taking Space: Contemporary Women Artists and the Politics of Scale" (July 16—Dec. 6, 2020), which invites viewers to consider how size and…
The Brodsky Center at PAFA is pleased to publish a new lithograph by the Philadelphia-based artist Jonathan Lyndon Chase (MFA '16). For you For us Come back soon (2019) is the second print that Chase has created as the inaugural artist-in-residence at the Brodsky Center at PAFA.
PAFA is pleased to announce the addition of 39 historic, modern, and contemporary works to its permanent collection of American art. Works by Henry Ossawa Tanner, Minerva Cuevas, and Doron Langberg are among the new additions to the permanent collection.
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.
