Sylvie Patry was named the Barnes Foundation’s new Deputy Director for Collections and Exhibitions and Gund Family Chief Curator. With more than 15 years of experience at some of France’s top arts institutions, Patry comes to the Barnes Foundation following 10 years at the Musée d’Orsay, Paris, where she served as Chief Curator of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist Paintings.

A specialist in Impressionism and Post-Impressionism, Patry most recently co-curated the critically-acclaimed exhibition Discovering the Impressionists: Paul Durand-Ruel and the New Painting, at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. This exhibition was also presented at the Musée du Luxembourg in Paris, and the National Gallery in London. 

“It is my honor and pleasure to welcome Sylvie, a celebrated curator and scholar with a wealth of expertise and a great passion for art and education, to the Barnes. Sylvie will be an important voice in promoting a deeper understanding of the Barnes collection, which is crucial to the growth of the Foundation,” says Thom Collins, Executive Director and President of the Barnes Foundation. “Her vast experience with world-class museum collections and organizing exhibitions around the world, combined with her impressive academic and curatorial record, make her perfectly suited to lead the Barnes curatorial efforts. I look forward to working closely with Sylvie as the Barnes continues to evolve and expand our exhibitions programs, collection research initiatives and educational mission.”

In addition to Discovering the Impressionists: Paul Durand-Ruel and the New Painting (2015), Patry has co-curated international exhibitions including: Renoir: Masterpieces from the Musée d’Orsay and the Musée de l’Orangerie at the Galleria Civica d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea, Turin (2013); Claude Monet at the Galeries Nationales du Grand Palais, Paris (2010); Van Gogh, Gauguin, Cézanne & Beyond, Post-Impressionism from the Musée d’Orsay at the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, and additional venues (2009-10); Renoir in the 20th Century at the Grand Palais, Paris, and additional venues (2009-10); Ferdinand Hodler at theMusée d’Orsay, Paris (2007); and Maurice Denis at the Musée d’Orsay, Paris, and additional venues (2005-06), among others.

Patry has authored and contributed to numerous books, essays and exhibition catalogues and has lectured extensively around the world on the topic of 19th-century French painting and taught at the Ecole du Louvre, Paris. 

“It will be a great privilege to work with the world-class Barnes — home to a collection that is legendary and unparalleled in the annals of art history. A tremendous wealth of social, historical, and anthropological information resides within the collection and I look forward to working with my colleagues at the Barnes to bring this rich knowledge to the forefront and continue expanding the Foundation’s artistic and educational mission.” 

Before joining the Musée d’Orsay in 2005, Patry was a curator at the Institut National d’Histoire de l’Art, Paris (2003-2005); curator at the Musée National Gustave-Moreau, Paris (2002); and curator at the Palais des Beaux-Arts de Lille (1999-2002). Patry earned both her MA in Philosophy of Art and her University degree in Philosophy and Art History at the Sorbonne, Paris, before matriculating into the Institut National du Patrimoine, Paris. She received a fellowship to the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, MA, in 2008, and attended the Center for Curatorial Leadership at Columbia University, New York, in 2014. In her role at the Barnes Foundation, Patry will oversee and expand the Foundation’s growing exhibitions program, curatorial and educational technology initiatives, publications program, and collections research and interpretative activities. She will begin her post in January 2016.