Carol Vogel’s column announces the Philadelphia Museum’s acquisition of nearly 200 works of art which marks the first significant move by new director, Timothy Rub:

There is a 10th-century Indian bronze as well as a triptych made by Sean Scully five years ago.

There are also three French Impressionist paintings that are a gift from two longtime supporters, Chara Haas and her husband, John, who died in April. They include Monet’s “Path on the Island of Saint Martin, Vétheuil,” from 1881; Pissarro’s “Apple Tree in the Meadow, Éragny,” from 1883; and Sisley’s “Mooring Lines, the Effect of Snow Near Saint Cloud,” from 1879. The couple also gave the museum a pastel by Mary Cassatt, “Madame Bérard’s Baby in a Striped Armchair,” from 1881. […]

190 works by self-taught artists have been promised to the museum. The works are the gift of Sheldon Bonovitz, a trustee, and his wife, Jill.

“For many years now there has been a lot of interest in this area,” Mr. Rub said. Included are American artists who were prolific from the 1930s through the ’80s. The museum is planning an exhibition devoted to its holdings of outsider art for 2013.

Inside Art: Philadelphia Acquisitions (New York Times)