The Barnes Foundation inspired some of Lucy Dacus’ new album. Now it’ll showcase her portrait for a limited time.
Fans can see the original oil painting used for the cover of her new album, "Forever is a Feeling," at the Barnes Foundation on Thursday and Friday.
Indie darling Lucy Dacus is back in her old stomping grounds of Philly this week — and so is an oil-painted portrait of her, at least for a couple of days. Fans are thrilled.
Dacus, who left the city around 2023 for Los Angeles, was kicking off the first leg of her tour in support of her new album, Forever Is a Feeling, on Wednesday at the Met Philadelphia.
As reported by The Inquirer, Dacus’ ties to the city — particularly with one museum — run deep. Along her Forever Is a Feeling media tour, Dacus repeatedly discussed her love for the Barnes Foundation. So much so, she admitted to writing part of the song “Modigliani” during a visit to the museum.
» READ MORE: Lucy Dacus loves this Philly museum so much she began writing a song during one visit
Amedeo Modigliani was an Italian modernist painter and sculptor known for subjects depicted with elongated faces. Barnes Foundation founder Albert Barnes was one of the earliest Modigliani collectors in the United States, according to the museum. The Barnes collection contains 16 paintings by the artist.
Now, the foundation is reciprocating Dacus’ admiration. Her album cover, a photo-realistic oil on canvas of the singer amid blue-gray clouds, will be on view at the Barnes’ Annenberg Court on Thursday and Friday.
» READ MORE: What’s it like to tour with Lucy Dacus, Jonas Brothers, and Death Cab for Cutie? A Philly photographer tells us
“Dacus began writing her new song, ‘Modigliani,’ while standing in front of a painting by the artist,” the Barnes Foundation wrote on Instagram. “That moment lives on in her album, Forever Is a Feeling, and now in this striking portrait."
The painting, also titled Forever Is a Feeling, was completed by Will St. John, a contemporary artist based in Brooklyn, who trained in classical realism in Italy. St. John was born in Harrisburg.
“We were excited to learn that singer-songwriter Lucy Dacus found inspiration at the Barnes,” said foundation spokesperson Deirdre Maher. “Showing the portrait that features on her album cover, by artist Will St. John, provides a perfect opportunity to celebrate how the song [‘Modigliani’] took shape ... We look forward to welcoming fans to our Annenberg Court this Thursday and Friday, where they can see the painting before experiencing the [museum’s Modigliani] collection for themselves.”
She added, “Like St. John, many of the artists in our galleries used tradition to make a contemporary statement.”
It’s the first time the artwork has been displayed in Philly. Dacus showcased it a few times in a small string of special album preview shows she performed at exclusive venues, like the St. Ann & the Holy Trinity Church in New York and the Driehaus Museum in Chicago.
“At one point in her [Brooklyn] set, Dacus mentioned that the painting featured on the album cover … would be available for viewing by the merch table after the show,” a profile on Dacus published in Them recalled. “Sharp gasps punctured the air, as though she’d just announced the second coming of Christ, followed by self-conscious laughter.”
The fans appear just as eager in Philly.
After the Barnes announced the temporary exhibit, a fan responded on Instagram with, “This is my Super Bowl. This is my Coachella.”
The “Forever Is a Feeling” painting is on view in the Annenberg Court at the Barnes Foundation on April 17-18. For more details, visit barnesfoundation.org or reserve tickets in advance by calling 215-278-7000.