The Barnes Handbook
Print, publicationThe Barnes Foundation Museum's permanent collection is famously resistant to conventional documentation. Dr. Albert C. Barnes hung his galleries in "ensembles," paintings by Renoir, Cézanne, Matisse, and van Gogh surrounded by wrought iron hinges, African masks, Pennsylvania German furniture, and Native American textiles, objects placed in deliberate proximity to one another for pedagogical purposes rather than organized by period, medium, or artist. No two walls look alike, and no reproduction can quite capture the density and intentionality of the hang.
The Barnes Foundation Handbook was an attempt to make that experience portable and legible. A compact, lavishly illustrated 224-page paperback, it guides readers room by room through 172 works in the collection, with concise entries on each, and opens with an introduction and essay on Dr. Barnes's unique approach to display. The design challenge was to honor the richness and eccentricity of the collection without either overwhelming the reader or flattening what makes the Barnes singular. Calibre by Klim Type Foundry and Milo and Milo Serif by FontFont provide a typographic framework that is clear and navigable while carrying enough warmth to suit the intimacy of the institution. Printed by Brilliant Graphics.
+ Type: Calibre by Klim Type Foundry, Milo and Milo Serif by FontFont
+ Art Direction and Graphic Design: Olivia Verdugo
+ Additional Typesetting: Pauline Nyren
+ Collection Photography: Sean Murray
+ Printing: Brilliant Graphics
© 2026 Olivia S Verdugo