Art of the Steal Monday, March 8, 2010
The mind-blowing true story of $25 billion-plus worth of art sequestered in the Philadelphia suburbs, Don Argott's documentary The Art of the Steal chronicles the incredible tale of Dr. Albert C. Barnes, who amassed a stunning art collection — Picassos, Renoirs, Van Goghs — in a deliberately un-urban private gallery. The Barnes Foundation's collection includes 181 Renoirs, 69 Cezannes, 59 Matisses, 46 Picassos, 16 Modiglianis, and 7 Van Goghs, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art wants them bad. Says director Argott: "Barnes was more concerned with educating serious students in his vision than reaching casual tourists, so he restricted attendance and refused to loan paintings to other institutions. His individualism earned him antagonists with the Philadelphia elite, and for the past 50 years the Barnes Foundation has been under siege, first by outside special interests and most recently by the Barnes trustees themselves." Argott appears in person with producer Sheena Joyce and executive producer Lenny Feinberg at this weekend's screenings. The Landmark, 10850 West Pico blvd., W.L.A.; Fri.-Sat., March 12-13, 7:20 p.m.; $12.50. (310) 470-0492. (Originally published in L.A. Weekly, March 12, 2010.)
posted by Derek Thomas @ 1:30 AM,
0 Comments:
Post a Comment