The Art of the Steal Page #2

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what was happening

with Modern art.

- Barnes's taste

is pretty well formed

in about two or three years,

and he has a feeling

that Renoir and Cezanne

are the pillars

of the Modern movement.

He also then sees

that Matisse and Picasso

are the continuators

of this great tradition.

- Barnes was way ahead

of his time.

He was ahead of his time

artistically, intellectually,

culturally, politically.

He collected some

of the greatest art

in the history of the world

at a time when

the American art establishment

regarded this art

as inaccessible

to audiences

and of little value.

- Just think,

the Museum of Modern Art

was in existence.

The Philadelphia Museum of Art

was in existence.

These were his competitors.

The Met had been around

for 30 years.

It's this extraordinary moment

where one man was able

to buy some

of the very greatest works

before museums were competing,

before MOMA and Philadelphia

and Boston

were actually saying,

"We have to buy these artists

as well."

- There's always been

this tension in the art world

about the Barnes Collection,

because there-- there is this

truly phenomenal collection

that the museum world

can't get their hands on.

(car horns honking)

- We're at Sotheby's

at a preview

for their big lmpressionist

and Modern sale.

(background conversation)

I mean,

there's a Van Gogh there

which is a nice picture

by a great artist.

This is not a great Van Gogh.

They're estimating $35 million.

I suspect in this market,

with this liquidity,

that-- that-- that-- it will go

much higher than that.

It's not Barnes-worthy.

He would have not bought

that Van Gogh,

but it is a Van Gogh.

Barnes wouldn't even look

at that painting.

Some pictures are unattractive

and significant.

Some paintings are attractive

and insignificant.

This is both unattractive

and insignificant.

I mean, the one last night

at $35 million

was a much better painting.

That was a good Matisse.

I don't think it was good enough

for Barnes to buy.

And the Cezanne here is...

not even a shadow

of a Barnes Cezannes.

This is estimated

at $7 million to $9 million.

I couldn't even hang it

in the same room

as The Card PIayers.

But The Card PIayers

would be probably beyond

certainly any

individual's capacity.

I mean, how much money

is in any one place?

The Getty couldn't afford it.

You'd need some sort

of a nation to buy it.

- Now 0011.

- You're gonna see prices

in the contemporary sales

that will make your head spin.

- Let's start the bidding

at $20 million,

at $20 million here,

$20 million.

- For things

that are not even scarce,

Iet alone important.

- $35 million and fair warning.

Last chance.

Selling then for $35 million.

(gavel clacks)

- There certainly aren't

any collections

Iike the Barnes anywhere anymore

in private hands.

(soft piano music)

- What is a collection

Iike this worth?

- Oh.

(sighs)

Look, there's some things

in the collection that...

one can't even begin

to calculate.

I-- I-- I could go through

the inventory,

painting by painting,

and a lot of them

I could come up with

some kind of a number.

But some things in there,

I just--

nobody could figure out.

The Matisse La Danse,

nobody could figure out

what that's worth.

We don't know.

There's been nothing like it.

There never will be.

(sighs)

It's worth billions.

I have no idea what it's worth.

The Cezanne Card PIayers,

I mean, what is it worth?

$500 million,

or the other one $500 million?

I mean, we're talking

about billions and billions.

(Music continues)

- The initial exhibition

of the Barnes art

took place in 1923

in Philadelphia when Barnes

exhibited the collection

at the Academy of Fine Arts.

Barnes had great faith

in his native abilities

and his eye.

He knew that he was

in the major leagues

of collecting the greatest

post-lmpressionist art.

- He was passionate about

pictures, you know, passionate.

And there was a passion

in sharing it too.

(dramatic music)

(Music continues)

- The art critics,

The Philadelphia Inquirer

and other people,

they just trashed

the collection.

They said,

"Oh, this is not art;

this is scribbling."

- It was greeted

with caustic outcries

from the traditional stuffy

Philadelphia art critics.

And Barnes was dismayed.

I mean, he was just dismayed

to have these provincial yahoos

who thought of themselves

as sophisticated art critics

just denounce him.

I think it must have had

a profound influence

in his dealings with them

for the rest of his life.

- He determined

that never, never

would they get their hands

on this art.

(ominous music)

(Music continues)

- A principal reason

that he established

his foundation where he did

was to get it away from

the downtown interests

in Philadelphia

that ruled the city,

from the newspaper

to the art museum.

- He talks about

in one of his books

rich people using artwork

as upholstery for their homes.

He didn't want that to happen

with this.

The other robber barons

were busy making monuments

to themselves.

Barnes wanted to make something

that would educate,

so he used his collection

to form a school.

He really wanted to be taken

seriously as an educator

and that this project

be seen seriously

as a real new step

in Modern education.

Dewey recognized that.

He was a very

serious philosopher,

and one of America's

great contributions

to philosophy and education,

really embracing

what Barnes was doing.

- If you've spent time

at the place

and you've gotten a sense

of what it's about,

you know that it's a very,

very important place.

And it's not important

just because it has

great, great paintings.

The entire thing

is the realization

of a set of ideas.

Dr. Barnes created this

perfectly appropriate building

in the midst of

a beautiful garden and grounds.

Barnes there assembled

works of art

from all over the world

and from all different times,

and he put them

on an equal plane.

And he arranged it

in such a way

so that the art speaks

to each other in a certain way.

It says something

about humans everywhere.

It says we're the same.

It says

that African-Americans

are no different

than Latin-Americans

and Asians.

We experience life in,

you know, in the same way.

We show it in different ways,

but the basic fundamental

experience of life is the same.

This is one of the many things

that they say

at the Barnes Foundation

that makes so much sense--

that art isn't something

separate from life.

It is life.

(birds chirping)

(rock music)

(Music continues)

- Years later, the artwork

had come to be

recognized as important.

Everyone was so offended

that they couldn't go

because it was closed

on a Monday and,

"How dare you?

I've shown up

with my chauffeur."

Well, f*** it.

Barnes didn't really care

about your chauffeur.

He had a school to run,

and he saw that very seriously.

(Music continues)

- The hatred of Barnes

in Philadelphia was fierce.

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