Movie Review - The Art of the Steal

The Art of the Steal (2010)

Directed by Don Argott

***This film is currently streaming on Netflix***

I'm not an art guy, by any means.  Not that I can't appreciate the pointillism of Seurat or the intriguing colors of a Matisse, but I'm certainly not one to delve into the deep and hidden meanings of a still-life painting of fruit.

I mainly watched the documentary The Art of the Steal because it had a Philadelphia connection and am always somewhat intrigued by films where I can go "I've been there and seen that."  Little did I know that I'd be treated to an incredibly informative and entertaining film that detailed the cultural importance of an art collection that I had no idea was right in my backyard and the governmental bigwigs that essentially spat on a man's grave in order to try and increase tourism in the city of Philadelphia.

Albert C. Barnes became rich in the early 1900s by creating medicine for treating children born to a mother with venereal diseases.  With his profits from this antibiotic, he traveled overseas and became enthralled with modern artists of the time like Matisse and Picasso.  He soon amassed a massive amount of art, bringing it all together in Merion, PA, four miles outside of his birthplace of Philadelphia.  Barnes had a distaste for the art world and made that well known.  Placing his collection in Merion was like a big middle finger to the art elite.  He refused to allow the public to view his collection except for one day a week, instead creating a school for burgeoning artists to study the 181 Renoirs, 69 Cezannes, 60 Matisses, and 44 Picassos (just to name a few).  This didn't sit well with Philadelphia bigwigs, to say the least.

When Barnes died in a car crash in 1951, his will explicitly stated that his art was never to be loaned out or sold and the art should be kept in Merion.  Barnes hated the white-washed walls of the art world, with feet of spacing between pieces.  His collection had Matisses next Picasoos next to tribal African art.  He wanted the pieces to "speak to each other" in a way no other art exhibition could.

Unfortunately, through a series of misguided Barnes Foundation presidents, the Foundation lost most of its funding.  The City of Philadelphia saw this as a great opportunity to purchase this collection valued at $35-40 BILLION at a steal at around $150 million.  Would they succeed or would Barnes' wishes be honored?

The Art of Steal is undoubtedly one-sided, but the arguments presented here don't seem refutable.  No doubt, even though Albert Barnes didn't want to associate himself with the snooty art world, his refusal to show his private collection of artistic masterpieces was inherently snooty in and of itself.  That being said, it was absolutely his prerogative to do with this art what he wanted.  The City of Philadelphia (including Governor Ed Rendell, interviewed here, who is never one to pass up anything that will put his face on a screen [look no further than Eagles PostGame Live on Comcast Sportsnet for proof of that]) definitely pulled off some hefty manipulations in order to try and get the Barnes art collection into their possession.

The documentary plays like a real movie -- there are twists, turns, surprises, and a great storyline throughout.  Interviewees are passionate on both sides of the argument, all believing that their side is undoubtedly the "correct" one.  The film itself looks incredibly well done, is beautifully edited, and contains a fantastic musical score (utilizing some great Philip Glass numbers).  

I can't recommend The Art of the Steal highly enough.  It's a first-class documentary that made me utterly intrigued about something in which I really had no interest.  I kinda wanna head out to an art museum now.

The RyMickey Rating:  A-