The Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia is preparing to open its first-ever solo artist exhibition with a display of wall sculptures by Ellsworth Kelly.
The 90-year-old Kelly is expected to attend the sneak preview Tuesday at the Barnes.
The exhibition will be on view to the public from May 4 to Sept. 2.
It will mark a homecoming of sorts for one of Kelly's early landmark works: “Sculpture for a Large Wall,” which was commissioned for a Philadelphia high-rise in 1957.
The huge sculpture of 104 anodized aluminum panels was removed in 1998 during building renovations and then sold, to the disbelief of many in the local arts community. It is now owned by the Museum of Modern Art in New York, which is loaning the piece to the Barnes.
The Barnes moved its main collection from the Main Line to the Ben Franklin Parkway last year. More than 300,000 vistors have viewed the iconic collection of impressionist and other types of art.
