News

A museum gallery with deep red walls displays classical marble sculptures and framed oil paintings under gothic-style arches.

Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts Announces Ro King as Chair of the Board of Trustees

The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA), the nation’s first fine art museum and school, is pleased to announce that longtime Trustee Ro King has been named Chair of the Board of Trustees, succeeding Don Caldwell, who returned to the role of Board Chair over the past two years and helped to…
Press Release
A rectangular stone panel features a low-relief architectural carving of a stylized vine with three heart-shaped leaves curving gracefully around a central quatrefoil flower emblem.

Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts Appoints Elizabeth Cahill as Chief Development Officer

The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts has appointed Elizabeth "Liz" Cahill as Chief Development Officer, bringing more than 30 years of fundraising and advancement leadership experience to lead PAFA's philanthropic strategy beginning July 22, 2026.
Press Release
A vibrant Fauvist-style still life painting depicting a vase of bright yellow sunflowers and a bowl of oranges and pears on a table in front of a blue-framed window overlooking a colorful landscape.

PAFA mourns the passing of Albert “Al” Gury, beloved painter, educator, author, advocate, and friend.

PAFA mourns the passing of Albert “Al” Gury, beloved painter, educator, author, advocate, and friend. For more than 38 years, Al shaped the life of PAFA with extraordinary dedication, generosity, and care. A PAFA alumnus and Cresson Traveling Scholarship recipient, he returned to the Academy as a…
Stories
An Impressionist painting looking down a bustling New York City avenue crowded with pedestrians and vintage cars, framed by tall buildings adorned with numerous hanging American and Allied flags.

Broad Street Review | PAFA and the PMA present A Nation of Artists

What does it mean to be an American? This question has been especially urgent for the last decade as democracy is on the chopping block. Our national future feels troublesome. This uncertainty was on my mind as I viewed A Nation of Artists, a major new exhibition celebrating America’s 250th…
In the News
An ornate, Gothic Revival museum interior features patterned red walls, pointed stone arches, a bright blue ceiling, and a grand central staircase illuminated by spherical lamps.

InLiquid | Walking Through A Nation of Artists with Lea C. Stephenson

The first thing to understand about A Nation of Artists at PAFA is that it is not simply an exhibition to be seen. It is an exhibition to be entered, followed, questioned, and slowly unpacked. Presented in conjunction with the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Middleton Family Collection, the…
In the News
A stylized multimedia artwork depicts a young Black child with intricate locs sitting cross-legged atop a dense network of roots, surrounded by floating circular patterns in shades of blue and teal.

Brandywine Workshop and Archives and Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts Present Concurrent Exhibitions Exploring Expanded Approaches to Printmaking

PHILADELPHIA, PA (June 17, 2026) – Brandywine Workshop and Archives (BWA) (730 S. Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19146) and Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) (118-128 N. Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102) will present concurrent exhibitions this summer showcasing work created through…

Press Release
Njideka Akunyili Crosby I Always Face You Even When It Seems Otherwise 2012 PAFA

PAFA Alumni Success: Njideka Akunyili Crosby’s Obama Presidential Portrait

PAFA alum Njideka Akunyili Crosby unveils her Obama portrait. Explore her work and see what’s possible through PAFA’s Certificate programs.
In the News
An oil painting depicts diverse street-level figures navigating a bustling, snow-swept city street lined with storefronts and a green vehicle.

Modern Luxury | Inside PAFA’s Powerful Figurative Art Exhibition

Representational and realist art methods take center stage in PAFA’s (pafa.org) Bodies and Souls exhibit. Over 120 works from the Kohler collection highlight themes of visibility, autonomy and embodied experience across identity, relationships and connections to home. Here, curators Robert Cozzolino…

In the News
A high-angle shot captures an ornate corner ceiling featuring a bright blue panel dotted with small gold stars, framed by thick reddish-brown and gold trim above walls covered in geometric gold and brown patterns.

The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts Appoints Jessica Sharpe as Chief Revenue and Engagement Officer

The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) announced today the appointment of Jessica M. Sharpe as its new Chief Revenue and Engagement Officer. Sharpe brings more than three decades of experience driving visitor engagement, revenue growth, and customer-centered strategy across major, national…
Press Release
A white hippopotamus stands atop a red table in a room with dark polka-dotted walls and a multi-colored striped floor

Peter Paone’s Legacy at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts

It is with great sadness that Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts joins in mourning the death of Peter Paone, whose decades of teaching, leadership, and mentorship left a lasting impact on the Academy’s printmaking program and generations of students.

Peter Paone first joined PAFA in 1977 as a…

Stories
PAFA's Gothic Revival Historic Landmark Building and the contemporary Samuel M.V. Hamilton Building on North Broad Street in 2019.

Philadelphia should take pride in PAFA’s next chapter

On April 12, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts will reopen its Historic Landmark Building after two years of renovation. It will do so with “A Nation of Artists,” an exhibition that tells a sweeping story of American creativity.

Moments like this invite more than celebration. They ask…

In the News
In this 1822 self-portrait titled "The Artist in His Museum," American painter and curator Charles Willson Peale lifts a gold-fringed red curtain to reveal his Philadelphia Museum, showcasing natural history specimens and mastodon fossils.

A Nation of Artists: PAFA and PMA Present Landmark Exhibition with Middleton Family Collection

Press Preview: April 10, 2026

Philadelphia, February 12, 2026 – The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) and the Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMA) present A Nation of Artists, a landmark exhibition and collaboration with the private Middleton Family Collection, on view from April 2026 to…

Press Release

 

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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.