Was Dr. Barnes infernal or inspired? Before Christmas, I wrote about the Barnes Foundation's enriching Modigliani Up Close exhibition, but, in my nearly daylong visit, I saw the permanent collection as well. The Barnes is unique in its abundance, and that means art of exceptional quality, and in its eccentricity, and that means its founder and ...

Unfortunately, the curators chase the equality mirage; what they wish had happened isn’t what happened. I was in Philadelphia this week for a family Christmas visit but also for anniversary visits to museums. It's the 100th birthday of the Barnes Foundation and the tenth anniversary of its vexed relocation from Merion to the center ...