If there’s any doubt that the Barnes Foundation is really moving to Philadelphia here’s news — there are signs on the Parkway now that mark the territory in no uncertain terms. BARNES ON THE PARKWAY they say in a most declarative manner.
There’s cyclone fencing behind the S-shaped billboards…and a contractor’s trailer is already there as well.
The billboards are both highly corporate (slick with great graphics) and also a little Barnesian idiosyncratic, with blow-up photos of the Barnes’ storied walls and quotes from Dr. Barnes about art and Everyman.
The names of the architects, Tod Williams and Billie Tsien appear prominently and yet their website is opaque about their plans. Read a little about the duo at Inga Saffron‘s blog.