The collection is arguably the greatest single collection of the masters of impressionism and post-impressionism. Over the years, Dr. Albert Barnes collected 181 Renoirs, 69 Cézannes, 59 Matisses, 46 Picassos, as well as invaluable pieces from a wide range of artists. It's scale and greatness, as well as it's obscurity from much of the general public, is what makes it so alluring and captivating. Dr. Barnes created this foundation as an educational tool for students and teachers of art, not as a public playground or consumer-minded theme park for art. The collection was housed in a beautifully designed building in residential Merion, surrounded by a natural arboretum. It was only open to the public for a few days a week to keep it in the realm of education, not consumption. The years following Barnes' unexpected death were fueled by controversy over the ownership of the collection and ultimately the fate of the artwork. It was Barnes' intention to keep the art in Merion and away from the tourism of downtown Philadelphia, but over the years, after changes in ownership and legal action, the collection has finally moved to a downtown Philadelphia location. In fact, the official date of the move was the 19th of this month. All of this was happening while I was unaware of Dr. Barnes and his massive and precious collection.
The film has brought this all to my attention, and so I thought it was be appropriate to honor the Barnes Foundation with a series on my blog. Obviously this cannot do justice to the actual works of art, but I hope it can be a portal of discovery into this piece of art history which is still happening today. It is a shame that I will never see the collection in its entirety at the Merion location, one can only hope that the vision of Dr. Barnes will eventually be carried out by those who still see it for themselves.
I'm only now getting in on the story of the Barnes controversy. Visit the website for the Friends of the Barnes Foundation for more information, and see the film The Art of the Steal on Netflix.
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