The Art of the Steal

Matisse called the Barnes Foundation “the only sane place to see art in America.” But the clamor over moving one of the world’s foremost collections of Impressionist, Post-Impressionist and modern art from its small, intimate home in the suburb of Merion, Pennsylvania, to center-city Philadelphia (4.6 miles away) has been anything but reasonable. Unapologetically on the side of those who oppose the relocation (executive producer Lenny Feinberg is a former student of the Barnes Foundation), The Art of the Steal presents its argument cogently and engagingly. Director and cinematographer Don Argott digs deep to recount the struggle for control of this legendary institution, founded by cranky liberal physician Albert C. Barnes in 1922 solely for educational purposes. The film makes clear that arguments about the foundation’s inaccessibility in Merion are disingenuous at best. Moving the collection to the city represents the triumph of money and power over the express wishes of one man, rather than the public’s opportunity to have a singular experience with an astonishing array of art in its original setting. The Art of the Steal‘s thorough research makes it one of the most successful advocacy documentaries in recent years and may prompt some firsthand investigating of your own.