宾州艺术学院

Two wonderful buildings, great collection that is well exhibited, no crowds -- we loved our visit to PAFA. The Impressionists Garden exhibit there through May is superb -- gorgeous art beautifully displayed. It really made my heart sing! Loved the Peter Blume exhibit in the new building, too. The beautiful older historic building is in itself a reason to visit. This is an unusually tranquil space that lends itself to a real appreciation of the art displayed. There is even a pleasant cafe. We will be back!

Phenomenal collection of American art! Always a treat coming to the Academy, as its not just a museum but a school training fine artists since the 1900's and an important cultural icon of Philadelphia

This is both a mostly classical museum in one building (many historic paintings of George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and others) but save time for the next building that's part of the school, which also has an extensive collection of many periods of art.

Well organized, beautiful museum with an open and roomy feel. Exhibitions change. We saw some excellent collections in March 2015.

I love the old building, but let's get to the artistic offerings. This visit was to see the Artists' Garden exhibit. What a fantastic collection of impressive work, displayed beautifully. This is not one to miss.

And the collection was a wonderful treat. We had been to the Philadelphia Fine Arts Museum and several of the others in the city but had missed PAFA until alerted by friends. Spent hours there between the excellent traveling show (Impressionist Americans in the Garden) and the permanent collection. Not to mention the building itself, which is high 1870's gothic revival complete with stained glass, wonderful decorative tiles and motif all with all the trimmings. The museum shop was well curated and fairly priced, with a nice attention to small children's toys.

Be sure to get here while the Peter Blume retrospective is still up at the annex, just north of the original building on North Broad.

Mix of some older pieces and contemporary works. Excellent special exhibit when we visited. Student works also on display. Be sure to tour both the "old" historic building and the new contemporary building.

This was our second visit, and it reinforced our impression that it appears to be pretty much undiscovered by tourists. This compact museum features a great collection focused on American and particularly Pennsylvania artists, . The still-life exhibition was very good, and it was very impressive to see the number of students who went on to become faculty members of PAFA, as well as great artists.

Philadelphia is an museum lover's paradise and there should no doubt be other museums on your priority list. At the same time, the PAFA should find it's way onto your list. It is very important in America's art history, is housed in a great building, and has a very sweet although not extensive collection (unless, of course, the Gross Clinic is on display as PAFA is a joint owner). And, if you visit now, you might check out the David Lynch exhibit - if you want to see bizarre art....and I mean bizarre! Also, the museum is next to a homeless shelter so it may seem a bit "street" - but it is perfectly safe.

Variety of rotating exhibits to complement existing collection. A guide approached as I was studying a painting and offered some 1:1 information, which was very astute and insightful.

Last year I went with a friend, who just hated having her experience of the visit channeled through a docent. That made the visit rather awkward as neither the docent nor my companion seemed able to escape the situation gracefully. Needless to say, I was eager to return alone--and I did. I love knowing as much as I can about the art and the building--a work of art in itself--so I happily accepted the offer of a docent's commentary. The point is, you have a choice--and can even have it both ways! Life is good--and this museum is great.

The architecture is great. Mathew who was a docent, I guess, provided a wonderful overview of the building. Must say, I did not think much of the David Lynch exhibit. It seemed so out of place for such a beautiful venue. But I will continue to visit what I view as a beautiful venue in which to enjoy art over and over and over again.

PAFA may be the less known and less visited Philadelphia museum, compared to the museums on Franklin Blvd., but it's well worth a visit, and is much closer to Center City than the other ones, and right across the street from City Hall and the Convention Center. The old wing is in a gorgeous historical building. I recommend one of their free docent tours to learn about the building's unique features. The modern wing is next door (unfortunately you have to go outside and inside again - not fantastic on cold days...). In between the buildings, in the Lenfest Plaza, you can see Oldenburg's famous paint torch sculpture, and an interesting installation called The Grumman Greenhouse. The new wing is a beautiful and airy space, and exhibits are always excellent. Make sure you visit the museum store - small but has a great variety for very decent prices.Highly recommended.

Now I wanna return to the one fine spot, this time again in the very center of commercial part of Philadelphia City. Here, off the North Broad Street and in the block of the buildings between the Rice Street and Arch Street is located this very elegant museum of the genuine american art.It counts for the oldest art museum in America and also artistic school in the States.We had seen within the museum, the large collection of american paintings from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, sculptures and works on the paper. You can see in the museum, the considerable amount of the material, depocting the American art history and art training.Looking from outside, it is an excellent example of Victorian architecture in the whole America.The red bricked facade, with many arches and very interesting roof, also with multitude of white stone ornaments, give to the edifice surely, an elegance.