The Art of the Steal

In 1922, Dr. Albert C. Barnes created a Foundation to promote the fundamental vaules of art through the study and conservation of his extraordinary collection of works from the 19th and 20th centuries. The Foundation’s headquarters, located a few miles outside Philadelphia, has become an important study center. Upon his death, Barnes left specific instructions forbidding the transfer or loan of any of the over 9,000 works of art in the collection, which includes dozens of Cézannes, Picassos, Matisses, Modiglianis and Renoirs. The film reconstructs, through many interviews and documents, how a small number of people have systematically tried to gain control of the Foundation and re-locate Barnes’ collection, valued at over 25 billion dollars, to a new museum building in downtown Philadelphia. A testimonial on how political power and economic interests have trampled a man’s vision and legacy.