The Art of the Steal

>> Woman: WELL, HELLO EVERYBODY.

THIS IS A FABULOUS DAY

FOR PHILADELPHIA, AND WE HAVE

SOME WONDERFUL NEWS FOR YOU, AND

I AM SO PROUD TO PRESENT TO YOU

THE MAYOR OF PHILADELPHIA,

THE MAYOR OF ARTS AND CULTURE,

JOHN STREET.

>> THANK YOU AND GOOD AFTERNOON,

EVERYONE.

NOW, LET ME SEE...

WHAT KIND OF DAY AM I HAVING?

UM, ACTUALLY IT IS A VERY, VERY

SPECIAL MOMENT FOR ALL OF US

HERE IN THE CITY OF

PHILADELPHIA.

THIS HAS BEEN, THIS HAS BEEN

A JOURNEY, UH, AND WE'RE NOT

COMPLETELY FINISHED YET,

BUT LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING.

IT'S ONE OF THOSE THINGS

THAT WILL MAKE OUR CITY SPECIAL

FOR A LONG, LONG TIME.

YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO GO TO

HOUSTON AND SEE THE BARNES

COLLECTION.

YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO GO TO

BOSTON, YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO

GO ANYWHERE ELSE.

IF YOU WANNA SEE IT, YOU COME TO

THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA.

AND SO IT IS WITH A GREAT

SENSE OF PRIDE THAT WE COME HERE

TODAY SO THAT THE BARNES

COLLECTION CAN BE MOVED FROM...

LOWER MERION?

>> Man: MERION.

>> FROM MERION...

ACTUALLY, I PAUSE TO TELL YOU

THAT I WAS ON A BIKE RIDE

NOT TOO LONG AGO AND RODE

RIGHT PAST THE PLACE.

AND I SAID, "SEE YA SOON..."

"IN THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA ON

THE BENJAMIN FRANKLIN PARKWAY."

>> YOU KNOW, THIS IS A STORY

WHICH SHOULD HAVE BEEN TOLD

AS IT WENT ALONG.

>> Man on recording: It is the

greatest act of cultural

vandalism since World War II.

>> Man: IT'S BEEN A CIRCUS...

AND HE COULDN'T TAKE THE

PAINTINGS UP TO HEAVEN WITH HIM

OR HELL OR WHEREVER THE HECK

HE WOUND UP.

>> Man: NAME OF THE GAME IS

IF YOU'RE GONNA LEAVE YOUR

PAINTINGS SOMEWHERE, DON'T LET

THERE BE A POLITICIAN WITHIN

500 YARDS.

>> Man: IT'S AMERICA'S TREASURE

TO BE UNTAINTED BY THESE

ATTACKS.

>> Man: CULTURE HAS BECOME

BIG BUSINESS, CULTURE IS AN

INDUSTRY.

THERE'S A CULTURE INDUSTRY THAT

REQUIRES NEW PRODUCT.

>> Man: THIS IS ABOUT HUMANITY,

BUT YOU CAN'T PUT DOLLAR SIGNS

ON THAT-- I MEAN, OBVIOUSLY,

YOU DESTROY SOMETHING FRAGILE

WHEN YOU DO THAT.

>> Man: IT'S AN EXAMPLE OF

SOMETHING THAT'S HAPPENING ALL

ACROSS THE SOCIETY AND THIS IS

JUST ONE NICE, LITTLE MICROCOSM

THAT WE CAN LOOK AT CAREFULLY.

>> Man: NO ONE KNOWS THIS STORY.

THIS IS A HIDDEN STORY AND IT'S

A BIG, BIG SCANDAL.

THIS IS THE SCANDAL OF THE

ART WORLD IN MODERN AMERICA.

>> The Barnes is one of the last

great personal collections in

the United States.

The fight now is over how

closely the foundation Barnes

established should follow

Barnes's wishes.

Here were modern paintings

so important that they were

the envy of virtually every

art museum in the world.

>> Man: THIS IS THE TREASURE

TROVE OF, UH, THE MODERN ART OF

AMERICA AND OF THE WORLD.

AND THIS IS THE BEST OF THE BEST

OF THE BEST.

>> Man: WHEN YOU GO THROUGH

THE BARNES COLLECTION, IT IS

JAW-DROPPING.

YOUR MOUTH FALLS OPEN.

YOU CAN'T BELIEVE YOU'RE

SEEING THIS.

AND THEN YOU GO IN ANOTHER ROOM

AND IT'S MORE AND MORE AND MORE

AND MORE, IT'S JUST INCREDIBLE.

>> I HAD AN ART HANDLER THERE,

AND THE FIRST TIME SHE PICKED UP

THE VAN GOGH POSTMAN TO MOVE IT,

SHE WALKED ABOUT THREE FEET,

SHE PUT THE PAINTING BACK DOWN

VERY CAREFULLY, AND SHE SAT ON

A BENCH AND SHE CRIED.

>> THEY'VE GOT MORE CEZANNES

THAN THE ENTIRE CITY-- THAN ARE

IN THE ENTIRE CITY OF PARIS.

THERE'S 181 RENOIRS,

WALL-TO-WALL.

59 PAINTINGS BY MATISSE.

THE JOY OF LIFE IS ALWAYS CITED

IN EVERYONE'S ART BOOK 'CAUSE

IT'S SUCH AN IMPORTANT PAINTING

IN THE HISTORY OF ART.

PICASSO, 46.

SEVEN BY VAN GOGH.

SIX BY SEURAT.

THE SEURAT MODELS, NOW,

OF COURSE, THAT REALLY IS

SORT OF A SPECTACULAR THING THAT

THERE IS NO EQUAL FOR.

>> UH, SIMPLY THE CONCENTRATION

OF THE WORK OF THESE PARTICULAR

MASTERS IS UNRIVALED.

THE LOUVRE DOESN'T HAVE IT.

THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART,

THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM,

THEY DON'T HAVE IT.

>> IF YOU'VE BEEN TO ANY OTHER

MUSEUM, YOU'RE USED TO WALKING

IN AND SEEING THESE WHITE WALLS

AND THESE PAINTINGS HUNG UP.

YOU KNOW, IT'S LIKE A SHOPPING

EXPERIENCE.

>> Zaller: BARNES WASN'T

INTERESTED IN A MASS EXPERIENCE.

HE WAS INTERESTED IN A QUALITY

EXPERIENCE.

>> Man: THE ROOMS ARE INTIMATE.

THEY ARE NOT MADE TO ACCOMMODATE

INDUSTRIAL-STRENGTH,

SMITHSONIAN-SIZE CROWDS.

>> Tinari: THE BARNES COLLECTION

IS ARRANGED NOT BY PERIOD,

NOT BY ARTIST, BUT BY

AESTHETIC VALUES.

>> Bond: YOU CAN SEE THAT

A CEZANNE AND A DOOR LOCK

AND SOME FURNITURE ARE ALL

GROUPED TOGETHER.

WELL, HE HAD A REASON FOR THIS.

>> Man: IT'S A COMPLETELY

DIFFERENT WAY OF UNDERSTANDING

A WORK OF ART AND ONE'S

EXPERIENCE OF A WORK OF ART.

>> WE SEE THIS COLLECTION WITH

A VERY INTERESTING PERSONALITY

STAMPED ON IT.

>> THE BARNES FOUNDATION IS THE

SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT AMERICAN

CULTURAL MONUMENT OF THE FIRST

HALF OF THE 20th CENTURY.

>> FROM AN ARTS AND CULTURAL

POINT OF VIEW, IT IS NOT

A LITTLE PLACE.

IT'S AN ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL,

CRITICAL, EARTH-SHAKINGLY

IMPORTANT PLACE.

>> Man: WELL, ALBERT BARNES,

I'VE COME TO THINK OF AS REALLY

AN EXTRAORDINARY CHARACTER

BECAUSE, I MEAN, HE'S, HE TENDS

TO BE DISMISSED AS THIS SORT OF

A BIZARRE CURMUDGEON.

BUT IN FACT, UM, I THINK IS