The Art of the Steal is a documentary about the art world, which is the perfect combination for an unbearably pretentious movie. Shockingly, this movie is anything but pretentious.The Art of the Stealrails against government corruption, the use of art as a status symbol, and exploitation of art for monetary gain. The Barnes Collection represented good art and art education, and what ultimately happened to the Barnes Collection was the exact opposite of that.
The Art of the Steal follows the real-life story of the Barnes Collection, a multi-billion dollar art collection owned by Dr. Albert C. Barnes. Barnes did not care about whether his art would bring him prestige or move him up another rung on the social ladder. All that Barnes cared about was whether he liked the art, and whether it would further his cause of education. When he first opened his house to the critics, they tore his art to pieces in the press, but soon everyone from the Philadelphia politicians to the Pew Research Center were gunning for his collection.
Barnes stated in his will that his collection would never be moved, sold, or lent out to museums. The Barnes Collection would remain open as a school, not a museum, and would not be open to the general public. When he died, however, Barnes did not leave behind a family heir, and slowly, the city of Philadelphia inched its toe in the door, then a foot, and finally kicked the door down and took the Barnes Collection for itself.
Director Don Argott (Rock School) does a great job setting up the story, and all it's intricate connections, so that if the audience is paying attention they will understand how the pieces all fit together. The story is told chronologically, but at the end there is a recap of all the main figures that were responsible and how they were tied together. This was especially helpful for me since there were so many people who played a part in this conspiracy, and at times, it was tough to remember who was backstabbing who.
By the end of the film, I was not only outraged at the disregard for Dr. Albert C. Barnes’ will but the greed that motivated their actions. There is a fantastic scene in the film where art dealer Richard Feigen goes to an art auction, and he tells the film crew how the art on display is terrible and insignificant. Many of these pieces, however, were created by big-name artists, so even though they are lesser pieces they sell at the auction for tens of millions of dollars. The audience is meant to chuckle at millionaires overpaying for a painting while simultaneously feeling a twinge of sadness that art is now being used and shown-off like a new Gucci purse. The most liberating part of the documentary is when the audience gets to see a small band of protesters yelling at Philadelphia’s elite who stand on the other side of the barriers enjoying a glass of wine and patting themselves on the back for a job well done.
Unfortunately,The Art of the Steal does not have a happy ending. The Philadelphia politicians prevail, and the Barnes Collection is brought into the city and even for a time displayed at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, a place that Barnes absolutely detested. To add insult to injury, they included a quote by Barnes himself on the advertisements for the collection in Philadelphia. Barnes wanted his art collection used for educating young people in a smaller, intimate setting, and instead, it was used to bring in tourists. The battle for the Barnes Collection may have been lost, but the larger art and culture war rages on. Anyone who cares about art, film, theater, dance, or any of the fine arts needs to pay attention to The Art of the Steal because art-for-profit is happening in every field, and we need to make sure that what happened to the Barnes Collection cannot happen again.
DVD Bonus Features
The film does not have any special features except for the theatrical trailer for The Art of the Steal. I was disappointed because I thought that they could have included more information like more featurettes about the art collection and the real-life people in the film.
"The Art of the Steal" is on sale July 27, 2010 and is not rated. Crime, Documentary, Drama, Education, Indie. Directed by Don Argott. Written by N/A. Starring Christopher Knight, Richard Feigen, Richard Glanson, Robert Zaller.
