Review of The Art of the Steal (2010) by Adam S — 27 Jul 2010

Thoroughly fascinating documentary about the political struggle surrounding the Barnes Foundation, a collection of impressionist paintings collected by the ruthlessly private Albert Barnes who stipulated in his will that his collection never leave it's modest surroundings in a Philadelphia suburb, much to the dismay of the elite Philadelphia power players, who see dollar signs around the priceless collection.

Like any great documentary, this story is almost too unbelievable to be true, which makes it so riveting, and sad, when layer by layer Barnes' will is compromised by his own descending board of trustees, who, as the years pass after his death, begin to take on help from greedy trusts who have great influence in the political circle that wants to move the collection to a tourist destination in downtown Philadelphia, which stands for everything Barnes was against.

Ultimately, what director Don Argott and the dedicated Friends of the Barnes, who feature most prominently as the film's knowledgeable talking heads, put across is a story where money and power, which Barnes certainly had, but didn't care about, is more influential than art history and even the lawful respect of a man's legal dying wishes, and it's devastating.