The World Heritage city of Philadelphia is set to cement its reputation as a haven for art-lovers this spring when it celebrates the opening of a variety of exceptional art exhibitions, and the recently renovated Chinese art galleries at the famed Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Many of Philadelphia’s incomparable art museums are located along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, dubbed “Museum Mile” and modelled after the Champs-Élysées. This spring, visitors to the city’s museums can examine temporary exhibits including From Today, Painting is Dead: Early Photography in Britain and France at the Barnes Foundation and Freedom’s Journal: The Art of Jerry Pinkney at Woodmere Art Museum. At the Philadelphia Museum of Art, visitors can once again stroll through the Chinese art galleries, which have recently reopened following a $2 million renovation, and dine at the new Stir restaurant.

From Today, Painting is Dead: Early Photography in Britain and France at the Barnes Foundation from 24^th February – 12^th May 2019
The Barnes Foundation houses the world’s largest private collection of Impressionist and post-Impressionist masterpieces and the museum’s From Today, Painting is Dead exhibit will examine how early photographers both embraced and questioned the conventions of the dominant tradition of painting. At the time of photography’s invention, painting was the primary medium for recording images and the anxieties surrounding technology were illustrated by French painter Paul Delaroche, who proclaimed, “From today, painting is dead!” after first viewing a photograph. The nearly 250 iconic pictures will also question how technical limitations hindered photography’s attempt to imitate painting; and how, in the process, photographers invented new ways of seeing the world, setting the stage for our modern visual culture. Admission to the Barnes Foundation costs from (£19) $25 for an adult. for more information, visit www.barnesfoundation.org/whats-on/early-photography.

Freedom’s Journal: The Art of Jerry Pinkney at Woodmere Art Museum from 16^th February – 12^th May 2019
A new exhibit at Woodmere Art Museum in Philadelphia’s charming neighbourhood of Chestnut Hill will include over 100 pieces from American watercolourist and illustrator Jerry Pinkney and focus on the subject of civil rights and the pursuit of freedom. Pinkney was born in Philadelphia in 1939 and became a renowned illustrator and writer of children’s books after studying at what is now the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. Freedom’s Journal: The Art of Jerry Pinkney will include pieces such as Pinkney’s watercolours for a book he considers to be among his most important accomplishments, The Old African, and Pinkney’s illustrations for Charles L. Blockson’s ground-breaking article, Escape from Slavery: The Underground Railroad, which appeared in the July 1984 issue of National Geographic. A schedule of lectures and events, many of them with participation by Pinkney himself, will also take place. Admission to Woodmere Art Museum cost from £8 ($10) for adults. For more information, visit www.woodmereartmuseum.org.

Reopening of Chinese art galleries at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and Opening of New Stir Restaurant 
The Chinese art galleries at the Philadelphia Museum of Art have recently reopened to the public following a $2 million renovation. The galleries include four thousand years of art from China and showcase costumes and robes, prints and drawings, photographs, paintings, and ceramics. For the first time, the renovated galleries will also display light-sensitive imperial robes, as well as works on paper. The museum has also recently opened Stir, a new restaurant designed by Canadian-born architect Frank Gehry. The intimate dining experience at Stir offers visitors an artisan menu featuring seasonal and organic local ingredients in a stunning architectural setting. Admission to the Philadelphia Museum of Art costs from £15 ($20) for adults. For more information and to buy tickets, visit www.philamuseum.org.

For more information on Philadelphia, visit the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau’s website,
www.discoverPHL.com

-ENDS-

Photo Captions (From Left to Right): 
Image 1: The Barnes Foundation’s From Today, Painting is Dead exhibit. Image courtesy of Kyle Huff for PHLCVB.
Image 2: National Geographic 1984 cover image (Escape from Slavery: The Underground Railroad), 1984.
Image courtesy of the artist, Jerry Pinkney.
Image 3: The Chinese art galleries at the Philadelphia Museum of Art have recently reopened to the public. Image courtesy of Kyle Huff for PHLCVB.

For Further Press Information, please contact:
Greg Evans – Philadelphia UK Office
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About Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau
Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau (PHLCVB), www.discoverPHL.com, a private non-profit membership corporation, is the official Tourism Promotion Agency for the City of Philadelphia globally, and the primary sales and marketing agency for the expanded Pennsylvania Convention Centre. The PHLCVB competes with its counterparts worldwide for convention and tourism business. The organization has divisions dedicated to the multicultural, sports, and life sciences markets.