Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) is America's oldest art museum and school, housed in a National Historic Landmark building designed by Frank Furness and George Hewitt that ranks among the most important works of Victorian architecture in the United States. Founded in 1805 and occupying its current building since 1876, PAFA has trained generations of American artists while assembling a collection of American art from the colonial period to the present. The building's polychrome facade, elaborate interior, and distinctive ornament represent the peak of Furness's achievement and demonstrate how Philadelphia produced architecture of national significance during the Victorian era.[1]
History
The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts was founded in 1805 by painter and scientist Charles Willson Peale, sculptor William Rush, and other Philadelphia civic leaders seeking to establish an institution for artistic education and exhibition. The Academy occupied various locations before commissioning its current building to celebrate America's Centennial in 1876. The competition-winning design by Frank Furness and George Hewitt created a building that expressed artistic ambition through architectural means, its originality matching the creativity expected of the institution it housed.[2]
The Academy has trained many of America's most significant artists, including Thomas Eakins (who also taught there), Mary Cassatt, Henry Ossawa Tanner, Charles Demuth, and countless others. Its museum collection spans American art history, with particular strength in nineteenth-century painting and sculpture. The institution's dual identity—both museum and school—creates distinctive culture that emphasizes practice alongside appreciation. PAFA graduates continue contributing to American art, maintaining traditions of technical skill and conceptual ambition that the Academy has fostered for over two centuries.[1]
The Furness Building
The Furness and Hewitt building, completed in 1876, presents a facade of extraordinary complexity and originality. Brick, stone, and terra cotta in varied colors create polychrome patterns that distinguish the building from its neighbors while announcing its artistic purpose. The massive central entrance, flanked by oversized columns and topped by aggressive ornament, creates a portal of considerable visual intensity. Gothic, classical, and industrial motifs combine in ways that generate energy from their very incongruity—a design approach that anticipates aspects of twentieth-century modernism.[2]
The interior develops themes introduced on the exterior, with elaborate iron stairs, richly decorated galleries, and spaces that prepare visitors for artistic encounter. The main stair hall, with its polychrome walls, ornamental metalwork, and filtered natural light, creates an experience of ascent as artistic preparation. The galleries, renovated over time while preserving essential character, provide settings where architecture enhances rather than competes with displayed art. The building's 1976 restoration and subsequent maintenance have preserved Furness's achievement for continued appreciation.[1]
The Collection
PAFA's collection represents American art from the colonial period through the present, with particular strength in the nineteenth century when Philadelphia was America's artistic center. Works by Benjamin West, Gilbert Stuart, Thomas Sully, and other early American painters document the nation's artistic development. Thomas Eakins's paintings, including major works created during his tenure as PAFA instructor, form a core of the collection. Sculpture by William Rush, Alexander Stirling Calder, and others demonstrates the institution's long engagement with three-dimensional art.[2]
Contemporary acquisitions continue building the collection, with works by living artists joining historical holdings. The collection's range—from colonial portraiture through twentieth-century abstraction to contemporary installation—reflects PAFA's identity as both preserver of traditions and participant in current artistic developments. Special exhibitions supplement permanent displays, bringing temporary installations and borrowed works that expand visitors' encounters with American art.[1]
The School
PAFA's school continues training artists through programs ranging from certificate courses to Master of Fine Arts degrees. The curriculum emphasizes traditional skills—drawing, painting, sculpture—while engaging contemporary practice and theory. Students work in studios connected to museum galleries, creating dialogue between historical works and current production. This integration of museum and school distinguishes PAFA from institutions that separate education and exhibition.[2]
The school's faculty includes practicing artists who bring professional experience to teaching. Alumni maintain connections through exhibitions, teaching positions, and continued participation in PAFA's artistic community. The institution's small scale allows personal attention that larger art schools cannot match. PAFA's identity as America's oldest art school gives students connection to traditions extending back to the Republic's earliest years.[1]
Hamilton Building
The Hamilton Building, completed in 2006 across Cherry Street from the historic Furness building, provides additional gallery and studio space while maintaining architectural dialogue with its predecessor. Designed by Dagit Saylor Architects, the contemporary building respects the Furness building's presence while asserting its own identity through glass and metal facades. A bridge connects the two buildings, creating integrated campus that spans the street. The expansion demonstrates PAFA's continued vitality while providing facilities suited to contemporary artistic education and exhibition.[2]