In the Press
• Latest in the Press
• FBF Press Releases
• Letters
• Quotations From Withering Criticism From Around
the Country
• Edward J. Sozanski Columns
• Drexel University Debate
• Reviews on the documentary “The Art of the Steal”
From across the country,
critics, curators, historians, and concerned citizens have voiced their
opposition to the plan to move the Barnes Foundation. The common
theme is the importance of preserving one of the world's great sites
of art and culture from needless destruction. The common emotions
range from profound dismay to anguish, all underscored with frustration
over the hubris that has brought us to this.
This archive is a mere sampling of what has been said in opposition
to the move of the Barnes art collection. The weight of the commentary
stands in contrast to the disturbing dearth of reporting from Philadelphia’s main newspaper, The Philadelphia
Inquirer.
With the exception of the Inquirer’s art
critic, Edward J. Sozanski, and extensive
reporting in 2005 by Patricia
Horn, the paper has not reported the full story about the Barnes
Foundation and has, until very recently, ignored the existence and
substance of the strong opposition movement in Friends of the Barnes
Foundation.
This serious lapse has left the Inquirer’s readers uninformed
and, consequently, misinformed. Through this website, Friends of the
Barnes Foundation hopes to fill that information gap.
To set the scene, we begin with John Anderson, author of the book,
Art Held Hostage. His article “Another Legal Theft” was
published in the Wall Street Journal on September 25, 2003:
“You'd think the city's philanthropic and cultural
elite would have been eager to help an internationally renowned institution
in its own backyard. But things weren't that simple. When Ms. Camp (former
Director of the Barnes Foundation) went begging for financial
support, its members said no--or gave a dribble here and a drab there.
On one occasion, says Ms. Camp, she approached Raymond Perelman,
the multimillionaire father of billionaire Ron Perelman, who was
then board chairman of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. He "stuck
out his hand, and he said he'd be happy to give money, 'as soon as
you give me this.' And I said: 'Give you what?' And he said: 'The
keys--the keys to the Barnes.' "Once again,
powerful forces within the Philadelphia art community were conspiring
to take over a priceless collection.”
Full story
Latest in the Press
Disgruntled? Albert Barnes
January 1, 2010
”The Barnes Collection is not being saved, it is being stolen,” by Richard L. Feigen. Commentary in The Art Newspaper
“The biggest heist in history is afoot, some $20bn to $30bn worth. On 13 November, ground was broken in Philadelphia on a fake reconstruction of the Barnes Foundation.”
Full story
November 23, 2009
“Barnes Storm” by Judd Tully in Art & Auction
http://www.artinfo.com/news/story/33284/barnes-storm/
“…And the naysayers are lones-stormoking to get a boost from the wide release on February 26 of The Art of the Steal, a documentary film about how moneyed interests commandeered the foundation to bring the art to the city.”
Full story
November 13, 2009
"Barnes Foundation Breaks Ground For New Home In Philadelphia,” by Randy Kennedy in The New York Times “Arts, Briefly"
“…But opponents — a couple dozen of whom protested on Friday morning outside the groundbreaking ceremony, above, waving signs with messages including: “Crime Scene. Do Not Enter. Destruction of National Historic Landmark in Progress” — contend that the collection’s financial troubles are surmountable and that the move is motivated primarily by the Philadelphia political establishment’s desire to generate more downtown tourism.”
Full story
“Barnes Foundation breaks ground in Philadelphia,” by Joann Loviglio for The Associated Press
"…The very last thing we should do is dismantle it," she said, "and good practices tell us that we should conserve the authentic and not undertake actions that cannot be undone."
Full story
November 3, 2009
Critic's Notebook: "The Art of the Steal: The Untold Story of the Barnes Foundation,"by Christopher Knight on Culture Monster, the LA Times blog
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2009/11/barnes-.html
“The Art of the Steal: The Untold Story of the Barnes Foundation” is a riveting — and tragic — documentary film chronicling the gratuitous ruin of a school outside Philadelphia that houses an incomparable art collection. It's a classic story of destroying the village in order to save it.
Except this little saga comes with an unexpected twist: “Saving” the Barnes turns out to have been a sham, as the title's claim of artful theft implies. (Full disclosure: I was interviewed for the film and appear, uncompensated, in it.) That slowly evolving turn of events finally leaves a viewer slack-jawed and angry.
Full story
Read More - News Archive
Latest Friends of the Barnes Foundation (FBF) Press
Releases
November 27, 2009
London Plane Trees to be Cut Down by Barnes in Stealth Move
In a memo sent on Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving, the Barnes Foundation notified all the
major institutions on the Parkway that 28 of the beautiful old London Plane trees would be removed
from the Parkway on Monday. This is contrary to the Barnes press release of October 7, 2009 which
stated that “London plane trees on the site will be preserved and will serve as a buffer between the
building and the busy city.
Release
November 13, 2009
Press Conference November 13, 2009
Today, Pennsylvania State Attorney General Tom Corbett is making news by indicting John
Perzel for using taxpayer money for political purposes. Where’s he been? Governor Rendell
has been playing politics with the Barnes Foundation for years now. Tom Corbett, who would
like to take the Governor’s place, has repeatedly turned a blind eye and a deaf ear to the
obvious, deeply troubling issues with the Barnes.
Release
November 12, 2009
Press Conference to be Held Minutes before
Barnes Foundation Groundbreaking Travesty.
DATE: Friday, November 13, 2009
TIME: 9:30 AM
LOCATION: Benjamin Franklin Parkway at 20th Street
Release
October 6, 2009
Robert Venturi, world-renowned architect and Philadelphia native, has spoken out against the move of the Barnes Foundation art collection to Philadelphia.
Release
September 29, 2009
Friends of the Barnes Foundation members head to New York Film Festival for "The Art of the Steal" to continue efforts to preserve revered Barnes cultural site.
The citizen advocates who have long opposed the plan to
dismantle the Barnes Foundation, one of Pennsylvania’s most valuable cultural sites, will take their cause to
Alice Tully Hall in New York City tonight during the New York Film Festival where the documentary “The
Art of the Steal” will be screened. Several members of the organization appear in the film and will be at the
screening.
Release
Read More - FBF Press
Release - Archive |
