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The painting "Skaters" by Gari Melchers (top right) at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts is a near twin to one looted by Nazis and recently recovered by the FBI at an upstate New York museum. / Image: Heather Khalifa (Philadelphia Inquirer)
When the federal government recently announced that a painting stolen by the Nazis in 1933 from the family of a Berlin publishing tycoon had been recovered from the Arkell Museum in upstate New York, Anna Marley, curator at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, did a double-take. The painting…
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installation view of AHDF
Artists look to the past, think about historical points of reference and reframe them for the contemporary moment.
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Jonathan Lyndon Chase / Image: Angal Field (GQ)

Philadelphia-based Jonathan Lyndon Chase is giving black men back to themselves with his sought-after, still-evolving work.

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Marie Watts "Skywalker/Skyscraper (Allegory)," (2012)

Building on its efforts in recent years to expand its acquisition of works by women and artists of color, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts has announced that it has recently acquired 13 artworks, more than half by women.

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thomas birch, fairmount water works

From the Schuylkill to the Hudson: Landscapes of the Early American Republic comes with a provocative and fascinating thesis: that there was indeed a Schuylkill River School, centered in Philadelphia, exploring themes and ideas that would be taken up by far more famous figures, including Thomas Cole…

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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.