Review: THE ART OF THE STEAL

“The Barnes Foundation would attack…the enemies of intelligence and imagination in art, whether or not those enemies are protected by financial power or social prestige.” – Dr. Albert C. Barnes

Those words begin film maker Don Argott’s documentary, THE ART OF THE STEAL, a chronological depiction of just how those enemies of art can fight back utilizing those very financial powers and social prestiges Dr. Barnes believed they might be protected by.  Argott’s film shows how a private collection of billions of dollars of art can virtually be stolen by people in power if they feel those riches are not being used to the best of their ability.

In 1922, Dr. Barnes, an inventor and pharmacist (the man produced a cure for gonorrhea), began acquiring hundreds of pieces of art, art that he believed to be visually or significantly important, not necessarily what was considered the best works by the best artists.  Dr. Barnes’ private collection, housed in Lower Merion Township just outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,  grew over the years.  Barnes swore that his collection would never fall into the hands of bureaucrats or those who would use the collection for their own financial gain.  Barnes even put into his will (the man died in 1951) certain rules for his collection and the Barnes Foundation that had been built up around it.

in 2004, the mayor of Philadelphia,  John Street, announced that the foundation would be relocated to within the city limits, and, try as they might, no one involved in the foundation could stop him.  THE ART OF THE STEAL tells how in just over 50 years, the government and those in power were able to maneuver their way around a man’s lifelong will and do precisely what he did not want done with his own, private property.

Utilizing talking heads, stock footage, first-hand accounts, and animation, Argott tells this tale with nearly absolute detail.  The early part of the film establishes Dr. Barnes, who he was, what he did, and his mindset for the collection he had built for 30 years.  While the gist of the film lies in the back 4/5, it is these early depictions and analyses of Dr. Barnes that intrigued me the most.  This is particularly the case in the chapter titled “Barnes-worthy” wherein art dealer Richard Feigen explains to us just the type of art Dr. Barnes interested himself in.  It is in these early moments where we are allowed access to the life and mind of a lover of the arts, the kind of man who wouldn’t even look at a $20-million Matisse if he felt it had no sense of beauty or importance.

Perhaps Argott moves away from Barnes the man and more towards Barnes the cause a bit too soon.  Once we begin moving down the list of successors who were in charge of the Barnes Foundation after Dr. Barnes passed away, we begin noticing the chipping away, the whittling down of Barnes’ wishes.  By the time we reach 2004, the idea has been broached, established, and clearly defined.  From there, it is just a matter of driving the point in time and time again.

It’s not that the point becomes mind-numbing or even nagging in any sense of the word.  Argott’s sense of structure is simply not all it could have been, particularly given the life and passion of the man himself.  By the time the court cases roll around and we begin to witness first-hand the works people like Jay Raymond, former teacher of the Barnes Foundation, put into keeping the foundation exactly where it belonged, we have already reserved ourselves to the big guys winning out.

Nonetheless, structure issues aside, THE ART OF THE STEAL is a passionate look at the powers that be and the lengths they might go to obtaining precisely what they want, whether that be something privately owned or otherwise.  The case of the big guy versus the little guy is clearly evident in Argott’s film, and, though it may be a tale we know entirely too well, it never ceases to open our eyes when practiced in reality.  The lessons learned in THE ART OF THE STEAL are not anything new.  The vociferousness of just how moot it is too know these lessons in a world dominated by corporate and governmental greed is no less staggering.  Dr. Barnes said these men, women, and institutions might be protected by power and social prestige.  They, in turn, proved once again that the best defense is one helluva good offense.

Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars