I visited the collection in Latches Lane 15 years ago and recently returned to view its new modern home in the city.
The collection came about because of foresight of an unusual and eccentric man, Dr Albert Barnes. He bought art and established the Barnes Foundation to teach youth and adult students about art.
Until the relocation of the collection in 2012, a limited number of public visitors were allowed to view the art, on only two days of the week. Attendance numbers were capped at 60,000 a year as visitors were secondary to the students.
So adamant was Barnes that his foundation was an educational institution, not a museum, that he required people to make appointments by letter and gave preference to students over Philadelphia society.
Applicants sometimes received rejection letters signed by Barnes' dog. He refused admission to writer James A. Michener, who finally gained access by posing as an illiterate steelworker.
Barnes was a doctor of medicine who made his fortune developing and marketing an antiseptic product, Argyrol, that prevented eye infections and blindness in newborn babies.
When he was in his late 30s, he decided to dedicate his time to becoming educated in the world of art so he could teach the common man.
In 1912 he sent an old classmate, painter William Glackens to Paris with $20,000 to buy paintings.
Three weeks later, Glackens returned with four Renoirs, a Van Gogh and several other paintings, forming the core of Barnes' collection.
But Barnes was not sure if he liked them and this bothered him. He was curious about what Glackens and the art dealers knew, that he didn't. So he spent hours studying the paintings and even put new frames on them to see if he would like them better. Then he would put the old frames back. Eventually, he started to like them. One wonders what changed during that time.
Later that year, Barnes went to Paris to learn by collecting art and with remarkable confidence and speed he began making his own choices. He was constantly harassing dealers and challenging their knowledge.
Barnes was invited to the home of Gertrude and Leo Stein, renowned for their Saturday evenings with artists and writers and it was here he met Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso and others.
With money, an excellent eye, and the poor economic conditions during the Great Depression, Barnes continued his buying spree, often acquiring great works at bargain prices.
In 1923, well before post-impressionist and modern art was fashionable or popular in the United States, Barnes held a public showing of his collection in Philadelphia.
It proved too avant-garde for most people's taste at the time. The critics ridiculed the show, prompting Barnes' long-lasting and well-publicised antagonism toward those he considered part of the art establishment.
Barnes was infuriated by the ignorance of the cultural elite in Philadelphia and was quoted as saying, "Philadelphia is a depressing intellectual slum" and "the Philadelphia Museum of Art is a house of artistic and intellectual prostitution".
Barnes vowed the Philadelphia art establishment would never get its hands on his collection. He left specific instructions in his will that the foundation remain a school and the work could never be loaned, moved or sold.
The Barnes Foundation continued for many years after his death in 1951, however in the late 1990s the financial situation become untenable and Philadelphia leaders clamoured for the art to be moved to the city to be more accessible to visitors.
Following much controversy and a lengthy court case, Barnes' will was overturned.
The collection is now on Benjamin Franklin Parkway alongside the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Rodin Museum, the Franklin Institute of Science Museum and the Academy of Natural Sciences.
Though the shell of the building is new, the series of small room with unusual ensembles of art, ironwork and furniture are identical to Barnes' original gallery.
Projections suggest the new facility will welcome 250,000 people a year to view the art collection, in the highly public gallery - exactly what Barnes despised and sought to avoid.
CHECKLIST
Getting there: Air New Zealand flies twice daily to Los Angeles from Auckland, increasing to three daily services from December to March. From there, US domestic carriers continue to New York.
Trains depart from New York City's Penn Station, arriving in Philadelphia at 30th Street Station. They leave frequently and take just over an hour. For timetables and tickets, check with Amtrak.
What to see: The Barnes Foundation is a 10-minute walk from 30th Street Station. Tickets can be purchased online.
Allow a full day, or overnight in Philadelphia and visit these other museums within walking distance of the Barnes Foundation:
• Philadelphia Museum of Art
• Rodin Museum
• The Franklin Institute
• The Academy of Natural Sciences
Further information: See DiscoverAmerica.com for more on visiting Philadelphia's art museums.
