I recently went thru my Netflix queue tonight and picked out a documentary that I have not seen or heard anything about: The Art of the Steal. I had no idea who it involved or who it was made by. I only knew that it was a catchy art film about a collection of art that was involved in the press. After seeing it, I was shocked and appalled that something like this flies under the radar of national attention. Now I don’t want to draw anyone away from seeing this documentary, mainly because it involves an art collector by the name of Albert C. Barnes, who had more post-impressionistic art than the Louvre, among other priceless pieces, and his collection is the more impressive collection in the world. It was opened to students and people who were open to the idea of going to an art gallery to learn about the history and essence of these pieces of work. It wasn’t a museum and wasn’t something that was generating money for a profit of a corporation.
Now here’s where the story begins. Barnes drafted a trust that would protect his assets and keep the art where it was: AWAY FROM THE CITY. Governor Ed Rendell and many more politicians try to move in and take away the art from the city of Merion (5 miles from Philadelphia, by the way) and do it in a way that would make you never think.
As a fan of Art in almost every form, this is the worst thing that can ever happen to a person’s legacy. One creates a trust to protect the future of their assets, not to have them squandered by politicians who control zoning boards and pocket trustees of foundations. After seeing the end of the documentary, I would urge any person who owns or collects priceless pieces of artwork to have them securely entrusted to a child or grandchild. That was Barnes’ only mistake. Not having a future to defend his priceless collection.
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