Chemists in the Art World

Pharmacists, medics and scientists seem to have virtually no link to the art world but during my travels this summer I found a connection between medicine and art. Deep in the suburbs of Philadelphia there is a house with some of the most extraordinary art I have ever seen and even more surprisingly all this art belonged to the chemist Albert C. Barnes. I wondered what a chemist from 1899 had to do with early French impressionist art! Barnes invented an anti-bacterial drug that was a major cure and he made millions by the time he was in his mid-thirties.

               Barnes was an art fanatic and travelled to France where he met both unknown and newly discovered artists which included Picasso, Matisse, Renoir, Monet, Seurat and many more. Sound familiar? He was immediately drawn to this art style and began buying hundreds of paintings at a fraction of the price they would be worth today. He even had Matisse paint a mural at his home! That would be like asking Paul McCartney to perform in your house.

Barnes allowed students and the public to view his astonishing art. Unfortunately, Barnes had a disagreement with his local community and closed the doors to his house and would not allow anyone to see his art...ever again! Many paintings from the most famous impressionist artists were sealed away within the walls of his elaborate estate. Several decades later, after the impressionists gained much fame and notoriety, Barnes’art was allowed to be shown to the public once again but under limited circumstances. Thus, proving there is a connection between pharmacy and the artistic world.