Behind their crafts are the high arts

November 08, 2009|Victoria Abbott Riccardi, Globe Correspondent

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If you want a break from the Craft Show (your ticket is good for all five days), consider visiting The Barnes Foundation, a gorgeous estate in the nearby town of Merion that houses a stunning collection of 181 Renoirs, 69 Cézannes, and 59 Matisses, along with works by such others as Degas, Manet, and Picasso. Only 450 people are allowed to view the collection each day, so you must reserve tickets in advance. However, it’s worth the effort, since part of the collection’s appeal is in how the works are displayed. Many have been hung next to artistic items (such as a footstool on the floor or huge metal spoon on the wall) that are in the painting or related to the depicted subject matter.

Another option is simply to stroll around Old City, the thriving downtown area near City Hall, where on the first Friday of every month area shops and galleries host an open house consisting of free gallery receptions and exhibits. Or visit any of the city’s 39 museums, such as the Rodin Museum with the largest collection of Auguste Rodin sculptures outside of France, or the quirky Shoe Museum, located on the sixth floor of the Temple University School of Podiatric Medicine and featuring almost 900 types of footwear, ranging from Egyptian burial sandals to Ella Fitzgerald’s hip gold boots.

In anticipation of our dawn flight home, we capped off the weekend with cocktails in the Sofitel (where we stayed because of a great Internet rate and the hotel’s proximity to the Convention Center). The weekend had surpassed all expectations: exquisite paintings, great bites, and the Craft Show, which for any visitor can result in myriad keepsakes, not the least of them inspiration.

Victoria Abbott Riccardi can be reached at variccardi@rcn.com.