The Barnes Foundation is one of the most important collections of Post-Impressionist and early Modernist art in the world, home to masterworks by Cezanne, Renoir, Matisse, Picasso, Van Gogh, and others. Established in 1922 by Dr. Albert C. Barnes, a scientist and entrepreneur who amassed paintings, decorative art, and African sculpture (before it was widely collected), the Foundation was conceived with a mission to educate the public about art and, more importantly, how artists see and interpret the world. 

Renoir in the Barnes Foundation chronicles the foundation's complete holdings by Pierre-Auguste Renoir. The front and back covers crop two paintings to show the edges of their frames, the motif used in other parts of the identity. The design uses typefaces and colors of the institutional palette.