Academy of Fine Arts

The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts founded in 1805, is a museum and art school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is the first and oldest art museum and art school in the United States. The academy's museum is houses collections of 19th- and 20th-century American paintings, sculptures, and works on paper.

The nation's oldest museum and school of fine arts, founded in 1805, preens in the middle of Center City. Architects Frank Furness and George Hewitt made a beautiful High Victorian Gothic building to house an impressive collection that includes Thomas Eakins (check out his 1875 masterpiece, The Gross Clinic), Winslow Homer, and Benjamin West. If you're in town for the hugely popular annual...

Two blocks north of City Hall is the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA), a wonderful museum and teaching facility that was the first art school in the country (1805) and at one time the unquestioned leader of American Beaux Arts. After a major renovation in late 1994, the academy, housed in a stunning Frank Furness building, unveiled a major reinstallation of 300 works from the past...

In Short
The museum occupies a delightfully ornamented building by noted Philadelphia architects Frank Furness and George Hewitt. The collection leans strongly toward American painting,...

Through the rare combination of our spectacular galleries, our internationally known school of fine arts, and our public programs, the Academy strives to provide students and visitors alike with a unique and thrilling experience. PAFA's museum is internationally known for its collections of 19th- and 20th-century American paintings, sculptures, and works on paper. Its archives house important...