Lecture: "Philadelphia, The Museum City" -- Weeknights at the Wagner

From the opening of Charles Willson Peale's Museum in 1786 to the inauguration of the new home of the Barnes Foundation on the Parkway in 2012, Philadelphia has been a center of innovative museum design. Museums have been built or reshaped in every era of its history, expressing the encyclopedic curiosity of the Enlightenment, the mid-century "workshop of the world," and the post-industrial "City Beautiful." Dr. David Brownlee will explore the forces that made Philadelphia a city of museums.

David Brownlee is the Frances Shapiro-Weitzenhoffer Professor in the History of Art at the University of Pennsylvania. He is a historian of modern architecture and urbanism whose interests embrace a wide range of subjects from the late 18th century to the present. His work is widely published and he has received three major publication awards from the Society of Architectural Historians. His most recent book is The Barnes Foundation: Two Buildings, One Mission (2012).

Following the talk, current members of the Wagner are invited to a reception upstairs in the Victorian era museum with light refreshments and prizes.

Weeknights at the Wagner

The Wagner Free Institute of Science presents five evening lectures each year as part of the Weeknights at the Wagner lecture series. Distinguished scientists and scholars explore current topics in science, history, and art as well as topics that connect to the Institute's history and its museum collection. All lectures begin at 5:30PM and the Institute is open until 7:00PM.