After years of public debate, news stories galore and a few lawsuits, The Barnes Foundation’s new museum on Philadelphia’s Benjamin Franklin Parkway finally opens on May 19. In case you haven’t been keeping up, several years ago trustees of the financially challenged foundation voted to move the collection from the Lower Merion, Pa., mansion of its founder, Albert C. Barnes, to a more accessible, visitor-friendly location. (The controversy arose because such a move was forbidden according to Barnes’ will.) Controversies aside, the new 93,000-square-foot museum promises to retain the eclectic, crowded displays of artwork that made the original so enchanting. The 2,500-piece collection includes 181 paintings by Pablo Picasso, among other heavyweights of the art world. Oh, if you miss the old museum, you can still visit its grounds, set to reopen as a public arboretum later this summer. Book timed tickets ($18 for adults) at http://www.barnesfoundation.org or call 866-849-7056.
