Albert Barnes was a doctor and business man in the first half of the 20th century who made his fortune on an antiseptic called Argyrol. He was also man of very particular opinions and an extraordinary eye for art. The collection on the outskirts of Philadelphia is jammed with impressionist and modern masters, but also masterpieces of Renaissance and non-Western art. It’s all packed into two floors, exactly as Barnes stipulated, and the major aspect of the museum’s notoriety. Barnes may have been a control freak, but he was not a nut; there’s method to his madness, and the museum is not as remote as publicity would have it.

Information on getting to the museum is at their website, www.barnesfoundation.org. By far the easiest way is by car, but a bus going to City Line Avenue would let you off about a 6- to 8-block walk from the museum. Parking at the museum is most convenient, but is $10. RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED for both parking and admission and should be made about one month in advance. They can be made online. Block out 2-3 hours and try and take each room slowly.

You can easily go into museum coma; there were so many Renoirs that, by the end, they started to blur. The pictures that stayed with me were the stranger ones - a hallucinatory Odilon Redon and several provocatively naïve Henri Rousseaus. There are also pleasant gardens worth a stroll. If you have any extra time in Philadelphia to go beyond the Center City attractions, this is not to be missed.

Open: Friday, Saturday, Sunday -- 9:30am to 5:00pm
(July & August Schedule: Wednesday, Thursday, Friday -- 9:30am to 5:00pm)

You need to make reservations at least a week ahead to get in. You cannot just come in since nobody will let you in without reservations. Call 610-667-0290, option 5, Monday through Friday from 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM. Usually you will get a voice prompt, leave a message with approximate time when you want to visit, and they will call you back with the availability. Admission is $5.00 per person. There is also an extra $2 per order.

To get to the museum, follow the directions on their website at http://www.barnesfoundation.org/. Park on the street; parking onsite is $10 per car. There is a gift store next to the entrance but it is very expensive as most gift stores are.

The museum has an unbelievably large collection of, to name a few: Rubens, Monet, Renoir, Modigliani, Cezanne, Rousseau, Matisse, Gaugin, Van Gogh, Picasso and many others. Some of the most well known paintings in the world are located here. The Barnes Foundation was created by Dr. Barnes in 1922. The arrangement of the paintings inside may seem strange but this is how they were arranged when he created the Foundation, and that’s how they are exhibited today.

The Foundation is located on a thirteen acre arboretum near Philadelphia. The building was designed by the French architect Paul Cret and was constructed in 1925. The arboretum has a large collection of rare plants; there are collections of magnolias, peonies, lilacs, roses. The building was recently restored. The funds for the restoration were raised by a worldwide tour of the collection in 1993. Currently the foundation is under the threat of being closed for lack of funds and is looking for sponsorship.