Abstract

Albert C. Barnes and John Dewey were close friends for more than three decades. Each influenced the other: Barnes’s educational activities were based to a large extent on Dewey’s educational writings, while Dewey’s conception of aesthetics was strongly influenced by Barnes. Dewey’s Art as Experience is not only dedicated to Barnes, but also includes numerous references to Barnes’s analysis of paintings. Their voluminous correspondence as well as their published work confirms both the intellectual context of their relationship and the pleasure they derived from each other’s company. Yet, most references to this association describe it in negative terms: that Barnes took advantage of Dewey’s good will or naïveté, and that the intellectual benefits of the relationship were one sided. A thorough analysis of the written record, especially their extensive correspondence but also their public affirmation of their intellectual debt to each other, demonstrates that this significant friendship contributed mutually to their ideas and provided personal satisfaction for both men.