The engrossing documentary by Don Argott, “The Art of the Steal,” is a cautionary tale about what money and power can do. Dr. Albert C. Barnes accomplished two things: he invented a treatment for venereal disease and established the Barnes Foundation in Marion, a suburb of Philadelphia. Barnes’ art collection contained 181 Renoirs, 69 Cézannes, 59 Matisses, 46 Picassos, 16 Modiglianis and seven Van Goghs, collected before the art world, including the Philadelphia Museum of Art, recognized their value. Today, his collection is worth $25-$30 billion. That’s a lot of art to be hidden away in Merion, but Barnes knew this. He designed everything about his collection and then created a school, an oasis for art students to learn from his collection without the crowds found in typical museums. Barnes died in 1951 and his will had strict provisions that his collection was not to be sold, lent to other museums, or removed from the grounds of the Barnes Foundation in Marion.
Ultimately, Philadelphia’s wealthy elite played the system and absconded with the collection in defiance of Barnes’ expressed wishes. The film’s villains include the Pew Charitable Trusts, Walter Annenberg, foundation director Bernard C. Watson, and a slew of Philadelphia politicians who regard the collection as a tourist magnet. “The Art of the Steal” has an obvious bias in favor of Dr. Barnes; however, is it really a tragedy that you and I might get to see this magnificent collection sometime in the future? 4/15/10
1 comment:
It seems strange that in the early 20's when Barnes was amassing his collection most of the art critiques (including those in Philadelphia) who saw these works didn't think much of them. They probably thought that Barnes was a "fool" for spending his money with these "nobody artists". But Barnes could see what they could not and he selected only the best works of these impressionists. After it was realized that this collection had great value and people wanted to see them these "charitable foundations" waited til he was dead and stole them. Amazing!!
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