Art Matters | Penn Today

Art Matters: ‘Fantine’ collage in Ryan Veterinary Hospital

Richard Lichter, a member of the Penn Vet Board of Advisors, commissioned a piece of his late golden retriever, made up of photos of nearly 500 shelter dogs who received lifesaving care from Penn Vet.

Closeup of a Song Dynasty urn with snakes writhing across a ribbed surface

Art Matters

Art Matters: ‘Tall decorated jars’

Jan. 29 marks the Lunar New Year and the advent of the Year of the Snake, an animal that can be spotted in a Penn Museum exhibition featuring objects and celestial figurines from the Song Dynasty.

A sculpture of six brightly colored steel triangles points toward the sky.

Art Matters

Art Matters: ‘Six Triangles’ by Ephraim Peleg

A colorful sculpture created by a Holocaust survivor represents the six million who died.

A self-portrait of William Carlos Williams in a wooden frame

Art Matters

Art Matters: ‘Self-portrait’ by William Carlos Williams

While most know Williams Carlos Williams for his modern poetry, one of his oil paintings hangs in a reading room on Penn's campus.

Looking into the sun, an overhead view of the kinetic sculpture

Art Matters

Art Matters: ‘Two Lines’ by George Rickey

A kinetic sculpture positioned on a hillside at Morris Arboretum & Gardens is designed to move with the wind.

Lynn Dolby points to one of Jennifer Bartlett’s “In the Garden” panels.

Art Matters

Art Matters: ‘In the Garden’ by Jennifer Bartlett

During these hot days of summer, the cool of a garden water feature depicted in “In the Garden” by artist Jennifer Bartlett could provide some respite. Made of 270 one-foot-square steel plates painted with enamel, sections of the mural are installed in five locations in Van Pelt Library.

A print by Jacob Lawrence depicts Harriet Tubman leading enslaved people to freedom.

Art Matters

Art Matters: Painter Jacob Lawrence’s ‘Forward Together’

The powerful print depicts Harriet Tubman, traveling at night and following the North Star, guiding a group of enslaved African Americans on their perilous journey to freedom on the Underground Railroad.

Art Matters

Art Matters: Sam Maitin’s ‘Celebration’ mural

The artist known as Philadelphia’s “Mayor of the Arts” created the 17 colorful, playful pieces specifically for the Annenberg School for Communication.