News

laura wheeler waring
February is Black History Month and Philadelphia Magazine's Pat Rapa named our forthcoming exhibition, "Awakened In You": The Collection of Dr. Constance E. Clayton, as one of its top picks for the month.
In the News
Henry O. Tanner, "Pomp at Philadelphia Zoo" (ca. 1880-86). Oil on artist's board, 12 x 10 inches. Museum Purchase (2019.47).
The Philadelphia Inquirer's Stephan Salisbury takes a closer look at PAFA's recent acquisitions to the permanent collection. PAFA acquired alumnus Henry Ossawa Tanner's portrait of Pomp the lion, completed in the 1880s.
In the News
John Grieg in shop
As the shop manager for PAFA’s sculpture department, John Grieg '02 sees opportunities to create in materials students leave behind. He teaches a “Found Materials” class at PAFA with fellow graduates Steven Dufala ‘00 and Billy Blaise Dufala ‘03, teaching students the value of raw materials. Making…
Alumni News
artwork detail

WHYY's Peter Crimmins reviews the multi-sited exhibition, organized by University of the Arts’ Sid Sachs. Invisible City is on view at University of the Arts, the Philadelphia Art Alliance, and PAFA.

In the News
hlb peale gallery
Condé Nast Traveler selects PAFA as a top museum to visit in Philadelphia: "PAFA isn't on the typical tourist track, instead drawing true art aficionados and intellectuals. Since it's also a highly regarded art school, the museum feels very alive—you get the feeling that many of your fellow perusers…
In the News
AHDF installation view
KYW 1060 AM interviews curator Jodi Throckmorton about her latest exhibit, Ancient History of the Distant Future, now on view through February 2.
In the News
wharton esherick desk and chair
Step into the exhibition "Wharton Esherick: An Artistic Legacy Through Necessity," in PAFA's Samuel M.V. Hamilton Building, and you'll be greeted by an object that you might not expect to see in a fine art gallery. Esherick studied painting at PAFA in the early 20th century, but he is best known for…
Perspectives
joan semmel
PAFA is pleased to announce that it is the recipient of a $100,000 grant from The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. This grant will support PAFA's upcoming retrospective exhibition of work by the pioneering American painter Joan Semmel. This is PAFA's second $100,000 grant from the…
Press Release
Deborah Will, "I Made Space for a Good Man" (2009)
PAFA is the recipient of a $35,000 Art Works grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. This grant will support PAFA's major upcoming exhibition, "Taking Space: Contemporary Women Artists and the Politics of Scale" (July 16—Dec. 6, 2020), which invites viewers to consider how size and…
Press Release
Image: M. Edlow for Visit Philadelphia
PAFA is a pick in Visit Philadelphia's January 2020 guide to North Broad Street, an area of the city that is full of significant transformation.
In the News
Jonathan Lyndon Chase, "For you For us Come back soon" (2019). Seven-color plate lithograph on Somerset Satin white paper, 38 x 30 ⅜ inches. Edition of 10.  Collaborating Master Printer: Peter Haarz. Published by the Brodsky Center at PAFA, Philadelphia.
The Brodsky Center at PAFA is pleased to publish a new lithograph by the Philadelphia-based artist Jonathan Lyndon Chase (MFA '16). For you For us Come back soon (2019) is the second print that Chase has created as the inaugural artist-in-residence at the Brodsky Center at PAFA.
Press Release
Henry O. Tanner, "Pomp at Philadelphia Zoo" (ca. 1880-86)
PAFA is pleased to announce the addition of 39 historic, modern, and contemporary works to its permanent collection of American art. Works by Henry Ossawa Tanner, Minerva Cuevas, and Doron Langberg are among the new additions to the permanent collection.
Press Release

About PAFA

Founded in 1805, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts is the United State's first school and museum of fine arts. A recipient of the National Medal of Arts, PAFA offers undergraduate and graduate programs in the fine arts, innovative exhibitions of historic and contemporary American art, and a world-class collection of American art. 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.