News

brittany webb
PAFA is pleased to announce that Dr. Brittany Webb has been named Evelyn and Will Kaplan Curator of Twentieth Century Art. A member of the PAFA community since 2018, Dr. Webb is the Curator of the John Rhoden Collection. With her new curatorial appointment, Dr. Webb becomes the inaugural Evelyn and…
Press Release
bacchanal live auction
PAFA is pleased to announce the 22nd Annual Bacchanal Wine Gala & Auction will be held virtually on November 14, 2020. The institution’s largest annual fundraiser and the Philadelphia region’s premier wine event, Bacchanal raises $500,000 every year for student scholarships at PAFA.
Press Release
staircase, historic landmark building
Kevin F. Donohoe, Chair of PAFA's Board of Trustees, addresses the PAFA community regarding the departure of President & CEO Dr. David R. Brigham.
Historical Landmark Building interior, mezzanine | Image: Barbara Katus
PAFA and the African American Museum in Philadelphia (AAMP) are the recipients of two grants of $480K from the Pew Center for Arts & Heritage. These awards will support an upcoming, transformative, multi-site contemporary art collaboration between the two organizations and additional partners at…
Press Release
cast hall
As we approach the mid-point of the Fall term, we write to share updated details on PAFA’s plans, timelines, and procedures for the remainder of the Fall semester, Thanksgiving, Winter Break, and the Spring term.
María Berrío, The Oracles’ Silence (2019). © María Berrío
Discover PHL's guide to upcoming exhibitions puts PAFA in the spotlight, with "Only Tony: Portraits by Gilbert Lewis" and "Taking Space: Contemporary Women Artists and the Politics of Scale" making the list.
In the News
Marie Watt, "Skywalker/Skyscraper (Allegory)" (2012). © Marie Watt | image: aaron johansen
In Thomas Hine's roundup of fall museum exhibitions for the Philadelphia Inquirer, "Taking Space: Contemporary Women Artists and the Politics of Scale" makes the list.
In the News
Louise Nevelson (1899-1988), Cascades Perpendiculars I, 1980-82. nds of Bernice McIlhenny Wintersteen in honor of her 80th birthday, and the Ware Trust Fund. © 2020 Estate of Louise Nevelson / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Artnet contributors Sarah Cascone and Caroline Goldstein highlight upcoming exhibitions opening this fall across the United States. Among their top picks is PAFA's Taking Space: Contemporary Women Artists and the Politics of Scale, which opens on November 19.
In the News
Staircase of the Historic Landmark Building
The Board of Trustees updates the PAFA community on its efforts to create a safe, equitable, and inclusive environment for the practice of instruction, study, and work at the institution.
Image of the PAFA campus
PAFA's School Review Committee shares an update on their ongoing efforts to foster diversity, equity, and inclusion in our community.
Annual Student Exhibition
PAFA is pleased to announce the updated schedule for the Annual Student Exhibition, opening opening to the public September 12 and on view through October 3, 2020, as well as information about the ASE Preview Party and related events.
Press Release
Gilbert Lewis (b. 1945), Pale Gold, 1991. Gouache on paper, 24 x 18 in. Private Collection. © Gilbert Lewis.
As PAFA prepares for the museum's reopening on September 12, we are pleased to announce our updated schedule of museum exhibitions through Spring 2021.
Press Release

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.