Saturday, February 4, 2012

The Art of the steal



“The Art of the Steal.”
I read this
By Constance Rosenblum
of The New York Times







BARNES, the museum of late-19th-
and early-20th-century art
tucked away in the suburbs








Let me tell you after realizing
what the $ can do in court a
WILL is not safe.











His art work was valued at $ 25 BILLION
This is a true story, and the same
Judge and people could do it to you.
All your wishes up in smoke.

READ ON::::
Albert C. Barnes, founder of the Barnes

Foundation in Merion, Pa.

A 37-year-old documentary filmmaker,

Mr. Argott attended the Art Institute of
Philadelphia and has lived in the city for
13 years, he didn’t understand the passion
that surrounded this highly peculiar
Barnes Foundation, the subject
of his latest film, “The Art of the Steal.”
“Certain people have deep feelings

about the Barnes,” Mr. Argott said the other day
over tea at the
Morgan Library & Museum
in New York, his long curly hair and
dark glasses noticeable among the suits
populating the cafe. “I didn’t understand.
I’d never been there.”That feeling evaporated
the moment he set foot in the galleries
that housed the Barnes collection,
a trove that included 181 Renoirs, 69 Cézannes,
59 Matisses and 46 Picassos, along with countless
other items of visual art, ranging from metalwork
to Medieval manuscripts to African sculpture.
“I was overwhelmed,” Mr. Argott admitted.

“For one thing, I hadn’t had any idea how
big the place was. I almost welled up.
I’m not sure why. I just suddenly
understood how special it was.”
The museum came to Mr. Argott’s attention

through a former Barnes student
named Lenny Feinberg — “real estate
investor, mountaineer and wine drinker”
as the film’s program notes describe him.
Mr. Feinberg was the driving force and
financial angel behind “The Art of the Steal,”












The eroding of clause after clause of Barnes’s will.
We were trying to tell a compelling story,

using all the tools at our disposal,”
Mr. Argott said. “We didn’t want to make
a boring talking-heads documentary.
We wanted to make a work that would
resonate with audiences, and these are the
kinds of works that do.”
And the emphasis on the will, a leitmotif

of the film? “We’re trying to be storytellers,
telling the story through characters,”
Mr. Argott said. “Whether or not you agree
with the will, it represents Barnes’s point of view,
and it’s our script for how he thought.”
Predictably, the film provoked what an

arts blog described as “big fireworks”
when it was shown last fall at the
New York Film Festival.
“Such a lively debate,” Mr. Argott said

happily, describing the question-and-answer
session that followed the screening. “People
were yelling, screaming at each other.
These issues bring out these emotions.
I’m not sure why. But for some reason
the Barnes stirs something up in people.”
Indeed.
“Barnes’s opinions about art were dogmatic,

and the acolytes he attracted were equally
and possibly more rigid,” said Maggie Lidz,
the estate historian at the Winterthur Museum
near Wilmington, Del., another institution
whose collection was amassed in
the early 20th century.
“Anyone trying to understand the history

of the Barnes institution is presented
with opposing and irreconcilable viewpoints,
” Ms. Lidz added. “Everyone seems to insist
that their stance is the only moral one.
But the problems that beset the Barnes have
never been black and white.
Polarization is as much a part of
Barnes’s legacy as the paintings.”
Some members of the museum world

who have seen the film have also taken
sharp issue with many of M
r. Argott’s conclusions and with the style in which they are presented.
“The film obviously had a message that didn’t reflect the complexities of the issues,” said Linda Eaton, director of collections at Winterthur. “Even if you agree with their conclusions, that the Barnes should stay where it is, this work is a polemic that’s structured to get people riled up, to get them excited and angry.”
“There are valid arguments to be made for moving the collection to a place where more people can see it,” Ms. Eaton added. “And as for the question of whether Barnes’s will should be broken, is a will necessarily the most sacred document in the world?
“Changing the will is a legal issue. But changing the institution is a very different issue. Institutions can’t become fossils if they want to survive.”
And the reaction of the Barnes?
“The film was full of unsubstantiated allegations and very one-sided,” said Derek Gillman, the foundation’s president and executive director, who saw “The Art of the Steal” in Toronto. “It was made by people who were hostile to the move and very angry about it. That’s why we didn’t cooperate with the filmmakers. It was not in our interests to do so.”







Now take some time and see this film
if you love art and the legal system.
It scared me and made me so mad.
Yvonne




http://www.barnesfriends.org/files/art_of_steal.html



Posted by Yvonne @ La Petite Gallery
Comments are welcome

No comments:

Post a Comment

Thank You,
I Love To Get YOUR Comments !!!

Masquerade #88

Masquerade #88

Winter Deers in Maine # 89

Winter Deers in Maine # 89

Nun in St. Augustine #90

Nun in St. Augustine #90

Abe # 91

Abe # 91

Teddy Roosevelt # 92

Teddy Roosevelt # 92
unfinished still working

FDR # 93

FDR  # 93
Franklyn D. Roosevelt

Duke Himself # 94

Duke Himself  # 94

Yorkie # 95

Yorkie # 95
Silky

Poodle dog # 96

Poodle dog # 96
Precious TO CHARLOTTE

Boxer #97

Boxer  #97
Max

Boston Terrior #98

Boston Terrior #98

what's Cooking? # 99

what's Cooking?    # 99
boxer

Cocker # 100

Cocker # 100

Mr. Hobo # 101

Mr. Hobo # 101

Mr. Pug # 102

Mr. Pug # 102

Where are You? # 103

Where are You? # 103

West Point # 105

West Point  # 105

General Eisenhower #106

General Eisenhower #106

Rockland Strand #104

Rockland Strand #104

General Geo. Patton # 107

General Geo. Patton # 107
WW 11

Gen.l Douglas Mac Arthur# 108

Gen.l Douglas Mac Arthur# 108

Abe #149

Abe  #149
Took it's toll

Russian Samovar # 150

Russian Samovar # 150
Russian Samovar # 150

sheep heading home #151

sheep heading home #151
sold to Dan and Liz Finberg

Liberty Belle Farm #152

Liberty Belle Farm #152
my old farm for sale

My Thor #153

My Thor #153
Thor at Christmas

Winston # 154

Winston   # 154
Bull dog blue ribbon

Penobscot Indians camp # 155

Penobscot Indians camp # 155
Penobscot camp Maine

After the ball # 156

After the ball # 156
oil in board framed for sale

Belted Galloway # 157

Belted Galloway    # 157

autumn in Maine # 158

autumn in Maine # 158
Autumn in Maine

October # 159

October  # 159
Spruce head , in october

Maple Syrup #160 sold

Maple Syrup  #160 sold
Party in Maine- sold

Ravens sold #161

Ravens   sold  #161
Ravens are here

Some headache # 162

Some headache # 162
Why Me? Sold June 2016

Cassa Blanca's sold #163

Cassa Blanca's sold #163
cassa blanca's sold Schupack

Albatross # 164

Albatross # 164
Albatross

Southern Magnolia # 165

Harrington Cove # 166

Harrington Cove #  166
Harrington Cove

The Endeavor # 167 #167

The Endeavor # 167                           #167
The Endeavor On harrington cove

Russian Cossacks #168

Russian Cossacks  #168
Cossacks Three

Fishing boats # 169

Fishing boats # 169
2nd Prize Winner - Lobster Festival Art Show - Rockland Maine - Summer 2008

Three Guy's in a Dory # 170

Three Guy's in a Dory # 170
Three guys in a Dory

The Babe # 171

The Babe # 171
Babe 16x20