Henry Saw: The Art of the Steal

An interesting if uncompelling documentary...


The Art of the Steal is a documentary detailing the history of The Barnes Foundation, an educational art institution in Lower Merion (a suburb of Philadelphia), that is the home of more than 2500 pieces of art including works by Matisse, Renoir, and Cézanne. The movie focuses on the the leaders the Barnes has gone through since Albert C. Barnes died and how they have allowed and facilitated the museum to stray further and further from its founder's original intentions.

The Art of the Steal tells its tale in a straight-forward and linear manner. We start by finding out who Albert C. Barnes was, why and how he amassed one of the best private art collections in the world, and the altruistic reasons he created The Barnes Foundation. The Barnes Foundation was started as a school and was only open to the public on a select few days. The movie hinges on Barnes' Last Will and Testament which stipulated that the collection would continue to be part of the school and never be loaned, sold or moved.



The movie is made from a very biased angle. The filmmaker, Don Argott who directed and shot the film, is clearly on the side of the Barnes Foundation advocates who are angered that any aspect of Barnes' Will was challenged. I'm of two minds on the issue. The first time the Will was defied was when one of Barnes' disciples, who ran the Foundation for more than 25 years after Barnes' death, allowed the building to be open to the public 5 days a week. The advocates act as though this was the first step towards doom, an ultimate injustice, and an act against all that is good in the world. Now, I can sympathize with the idea that a man's Will should be binding, but is it really that bad that more people were able to see these amazing works of art? Is that really the worst thing in the world?

From that point the film follows how the Foundation was bequeathed to Lincoln University and how they appointed a series of ambitious men to run the Barnes who were more interested in political status than keeping the spirit of Barnes alive. It's not that I'm not sympathetic to the ideal of maintaining the Barnes Foundation as it was intended to exist, or that I thought any of the subsequent leaders were likable or did the right thing, but I guess I was never as moved as the movie wanted me to be.



The movie acts as though the idea of moving the collection to Philadelphia is the worst thing to happen since the Holocaust (it's possible that one of the talking heads actually says this in fact). Look, it's shady, it's a damn shame, but I just didn't feel the great tragedy of the proceedings like the filmmakers wanted me to.

The movie is well made, a little heavy of the classical music and a little repetitive in terms of who they talk to, but it's hard to complain about the craftsmanship. It's an interesting story, and I appreciate how passionate everyone involved is, but The Art of the Steal failed to completely suck me in. Worth a viewing, but unless you're are highly interested in The Barnes or the art world in general, don't rush out to see it.

Grade: B-

Best Scene: The extended scene about Richard Glanton's leadership. He's a polarizing and interesting character...