This is story about how a group of politicians and monied interests set about to steal an art collection, and break a Trust. This take over took place, according to the well documented Art Film called, "The Art of the Steal", upon the death of Dr. Albert Barnes, a philanthropic minded man who collected Post Impressionist and early Modern Artist's works. You will gasp at what is in this magnificent collection!
And it seems that some of the collection, that is now going to be moved to a newly constructed downtown gallery in Philadelphia, has been farmed out to other galleries in New York, to whom they have given the right to make copies, or in other words, copyrights. If this is true, and I'm not sure how you could do this, these galleries will now be able to print these paintings and sell the prints.
While poking around the web I found that Kraushaar Galleries in New York now owns the copyright to many of the pictures in the Barnes Collection, and they seem to be in the business of a reproduction gallery, according to their linked GALLERY at artnet
"Curiouser and curiouser", said Alice. Who farmed out those rights, and was that also part of the money making plans? Is this mindset part of the " After all, even Art with a Capital 'A' must be made to pay it's way"? And it makes plenty of money for Museums as they have learned to market their collections. Teaching Art Academy no more, Dr. Barnes. Too bad, so Sad.
This just seems like another slash across the face of the man who amassed the Collection, by what happened, after he died, to break the Will he created which was designed to keep the collection together in one place that was designated as a teaching institution.
In the film, if you watch it, be sure to note that one of the people most central to this event seems to have torn a page out of Barnes' Trust, and left his own vast and important art collection to a museum far away in New York, with the same stipulations that it not be rented, loaned or sold, ever. I wonder how many steely eyes are now focused, ravenously, on the Annenberg Collection another high value group of impressionist and post impressionist art ? Curious Minds wish to know....
We waste people, and not all of them are the poor.
And it seems that some of the collection, that is now going to be moved to a newly constructed downtown gallery in Philadelphia, has been farmed out to other galleries in New York, to whom they have given the right to make copies, or in other words, copyrights. If this is true, and I'm not sure how you could do this, these galleries will now be able to print these paintings and sell the prints.
While poking around the web I found that Kraushaar Galleries in New York now owns the copyright to many of the pictures in the Barnes Collection, and they seem to be in the business of a reproduction gallery, according to their linked GALLERY at artnet
"Curiouser and curiouser", said Alice. Who farmed out those rights, and was that also part of the money making plans? Is this mindset part of the " After all, even Art with a Capital 'A' must be made to pay it's way"? And it makes plenty of money for Museums as they have learned to market their collections. Teaching Art Academy no more, Dr. Barnes. Too bad, so Sad.
This just seems like another slash across the face of the man who amassed the Collection, by what happened, after he died, to break the Will he created which was designed to keep the collection together in one place that was designated as a teaching institution.
In the film, if you watch it, be sure to note that one of the people most central to this event seems to have torn a page out of Barnes' Trust, and left his own vast and important art collection to a museum far away in New York, with the same stipulations that it not be rented, loaned or sold, ever. I wonder how many steely eyes are now focused, ravenously, on the Annenberg Collection another high value group of impressionist and post impressionist art ? Curious Minds wish to know....
We waste people, and not all of them are the poor.
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I’m going through some stuff but I will peek in now and then and will be back when it’s over..