Barnes Foundation, et al

With my sister and brother-in-law visiting, the first obvious stop had to be the Barnes Foundation where the Barnes collection of impressionism (and other) art is uniquely displayed. Cameras are not allowed in the galleries, but the exterior of this new museum is a work of art by itself. A few "impressions" from around the Barnes ...

Afterwards, we walked along the Ben Franklin Parkway to City Plaza. The city was alive with tourists, and the vitality of an urban center. Again, just a few "impressions" ...

Swann Fountain

Franklin Parkway

Three-Way Oiece by Henry Moore, 1964

Fountain in "Love Park"

Boathouse Row & the Schuylkill Navy

A terrific bike path is the loop which goes from East Falls Bridge down Martin Luther King Drive to the Museum, then up Kelly Drive to the bridge (or, the reverse direction if one prefers). I did the ride on a steamy early morning in late July, pausing often along the way to watch the "Shuylkill Navy."

Many of the rowing clubs, some among the oldest in the country, are based along Boathouse Row. The next photos are from winter, spring, and summer (2 from my July bike ride).

Boathouse Row

Boathouse Row

Boathouse Row

Boathouse Row

Kelly Drive, which runs along the river from the Museum to East Falls Bridge, is named for John B. Kelly, an Olympic rowing champion in 1920 and 1924, (father of Grace Kelly of Monaco), and prominent Philadelphian. A memorial honors his achievements in the sport and place in Philadelphia's rowing community.

John B. Kelly Memorial

John B. Kelly Memorial

Schuylkill River Trail - Detour Franklin Parkway

The morning bike ride along the Schuylkill River Trail included a detour down the Franklin Parkway and back to the Art Museum. The area is rich in outdoor sculpture. What follows is just a sampling.

In the park across from the Franklin Institute is Pennsylvania's "All Wars Memorial to Colored Soldiers and Sailors" (J. Otto Schweizer, 1927), which was moved from an obscure location in Fairmont Park to this prominent position in 1994. Six soldiers and sailors are grouped around a figure of justice beneath a symbolic Torch of Life that is guarded by American eagles.

All Wars Memorial to Colored Soldiers and Sailors

All Wars Memorial ... (detail)

Nearby, in the middle of Logan Circle, in the Fountain of the Three Rivers" (aka, Swann Fountain)by Alexander Stirling Calder, 1920.  I posted photos of the fountain on February 26. Now in mid-summer, the water is turned on, and the fountain acquires an ever changing characters as sun mixes with the water and mist. In the first photo, immediately behind the central column of water, is the tower of city hall.

Fountain of the Three Rivers

Fountain of the Three Rivers - detail - Delaware River

Fountain of the Three Rivers - detail

Fountain of the Three Rivers

Fountain of the Three Rivers - detail - Schuylkill River

Returning north along Franklin Boulevard, is the Rodin Museum, in front of which Auguste Rodin's "The Thinker" perpetually ponders the mysteries of life.

"The Thinker,"

The road which continues around the side of the Museum is Kelly Drive. Easily overlooked along the way is "Silenus with the Infant Bacchus." The original by Praxiteles, 4th cen BCE is in the Louvre. This casting was made in 1895 and purchased by the Fairmount Park Art Association.

"Silenus and the Infant Bacchus"

"Silenus and the Infant Bacchus" - detail.

At Kelly Drive and Sedgely Drive in the "Abraham Lincoln Memorial" by Randolph Ragers, 1871.

"Abraham Lincoln Memorial"

"Abraham Lincoln Memorial" - detail

Schuylkill River Trail to South Street

The Schuylkill River Trail was recently named the best urban trail in the United States. About 60 of the planned 130 miles of the trail are complete. In Philadelphia, it follows the river for 26 miles to Valley Forge.

Early on a recent Sunday morning, I rode the trail from East Falls to South Street, with a significant detour to Logan Circle and around the Art Museum. This first post is the section from the Art Museum to South Street, where the trail hugs the bank of the river or uses a boardwalk over the river.

30th Street Station

Philadelphia Art Museum

Public space in Philadelphia is rich with public art. On this new section of the Schuylkill River Trail, "Air" by Philadelphian Walter Hancock (a WWII "Monuments Man)" was taken out of storage and installed along the trail in April of this year.

"Air" by Walter Hancock, 1979

Museum of Art

The neoclassical Philadelphia Museum of Art is a work of art in and of itself. This post offers an assortment of angles on the home of one of the country's great art collections.

 

Pediment - "Western Civilization"

City Details

Here and there on the streets of Center City - some "details."