A gallery referred to as the “Dutch Room,” housing decorative arts, had disappeared and an elevator taken its place. When the foundation reopened in 1995, it had audio guides and a gift shop that sold coffee mugs, T-shirts, color reproductions, and jewelry. In a heartfelt article departing from the Weekly Standard's usual conservative line, Lance Esplund chronicled the recent history of the museum after decades in hibernation following a dispute with Philadelphia Inquirer publisher Walter Annenberg in 1951:
"The galleries were to be open to the public only two days a week other days were dedicated to educational programs." But after decades of litigation surrounding the foundation, Barnes' original wishes for his collection were gradually superseded.
When Barnes established his foundation, he mandated that his collection be used "for art education, not commercial display." "The artworks couldn’t be lent, sold or moved,"noted Kazakina. The controversy arises not from the sheer wealth of art but its rightful display. As Katya Kazakina reported for Bloomberg News in February, the collection maintained by the Barnes Foundation after Barnes' death in 1951 includes "181 Renoirs, 69 Cezannes, 59 Matisses, 46 Picassos, 16 Modiglianis and seven Van Goghs." The artwork itself was not the only attraction to the Barnes estate: "Barnes, who had eccentric tastes in display, insisted that the paintings be hung densely amid medieval relics, African art and modernist furniture." Barnes' private collection of post-impressionist and modern art-the largest in the world-from his Beaux-Arts mansion in Merion, PA to a larger, more accommodating facility at the heart of Philadelphia. The Art of the Steal, directed by Don Argott, centers on the controversial relocation of early-20th-century pharmaceutical magnate Alfred C. In February, the premier of a new documentary sparked fierce debate in the fine arts world. This article is from the archive of our partner.
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