Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts | Philadelphia

Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA)

Founded in 1805, PAFA is the oldest art museum and school of fine arts in the United States. It occupies two adjoining buildings at 118–128 North Broad Street in Philadelphia: the landmark Furness-Hewitt Building (1871–76) and the Samuel M. V. Hamilton Building (1914, renovated 2005). Together they combine a world-class American art collection, dynamic exhibition spaces, and degree-granting studios that continue a two-century tradition of training artists.

Architectural Highlights

Furness-Hewitt Building – Designed by Frank Furness and George W. Hewitt, this High Victorian Gothic masterpiece blends red terracotta, mauve granite, patterned brick, and cast-iron flourishes. The polychrome façade frames a monumental Moorish arch; inside, a grand staircase rises through vaulted galleries illuminated by skylights and jewel-toned stenciling. Designated a National Historic Landmark in 1975.

Hamilton Building – Formerly the Pennsylvania Railroad Annex, the Beaux-Arts structure now houses contemporary galleries, the Works on Paper Study Center, conservation labs, and classroom lofts.

Collections

More than 17,000 works trace American art from the late-eighteenth century to today. Core strengths include:

Hudson River & Luminism – Thomas Cole, Frederic Church, Martin Johnson Heade.

American Impressionism – Mary Cassatt’s Woman in a Loge, Childe Hassam’s city vistas.

Ashcan & Urban Realism – John Sloan, George Luks, Everett Shinn; Robert Henri’s Young Woman in White.

Modernism & Abstraction – Charles Demuth’s My Egypt, Arthur Dove, Georgia O’Keeffe watercolors, Jacob Lawrence’s Builders Series.

Contemporary Practice – Faith Ringgold story quilts, Mickalene Thomas photo-collages, Njideka Akunyili Crosby mixed media.
Sculpture holdings feature William Rush’s ship figureheads, Hiram Powers’ Greek Slave, and Augustus Saint-Gaudens’ bronze portrait reliefs.

Exhibitions and Programs

Annual Student Exhibition (ASE) – Running since 1811, the ASE transforms all museum floors into a curated marketplace for graduating BFA and MFA candidates.

Rotating Shows – Themed surveys such as “Making American Artists: Stories from PAFA, 1776–1976” pair collection anchors with loans to re-evaluate canonical narratives.

Public Programs – Life-drawing marathons, artist talks, and the weekly “Art at Noon” lecture series.

Digital Initiatives – The “PAFA From Home” portal streams studio demos, archive deep dives, and K-12 art lessons.

The School

Degrees offered: BFA, BFA + Certificate, Low-Residency MFA, and Post-Baccalaureate Certificate. Classical foundation courses—drawing from the cast, anatomy, perspective—lead to advanced study in painting, sculpture, printmaking, and new media. Alumni include Thomas Eakins, Henry Ossawa Tanner, Violet Oakley, David Lynch, Bo Bartlett, and Njideka Akunyili Crosby. The Arcadia Fine Arts Library and Historic Costume Collection support research.

Visiting Information (2025)

Hours – Wed–Fri 10 am–4 pm, Sat–Sun 11 am–5 pm. Closed Mon-Tue and major holidays.

Admission – $15 adults; $12 seniors and students; free for ages 18 and under, military, and PAFA members. First Sunday of each month is pay-what-you-wish.

Access – Main entrance ramp on Cherry Street; elevators serve all public floors. Large-print guides and portable stools available at coat check.

Transit – One block northwest of SEPTA’s Jefferson Station (Regional Rail) and a short walk from Market-Frankford Line (11th Street). Discounted parking at Parkway Broad-Cherry Garage with validation.

Amenities – Portfolio Café offers coffee, sandwiches, and garden seating; the Museum Store specializes in American-made ceramics, prints, and art supplies.

Significance

PAFA shaped American visual culture by collecting national art when few institutions did, mounting pioneering retrospectives—Mary Cassatt in 1898, Henry Ossawa Tanner in 1924—and fostering generations of artists through a rigorous atelier model. The synergy of historic galleries, contemporary exhibitions, and working studios makes PAFA a living laboratory where the past and present of American art meet in one vivid campus.