Visiting the Barnes, and the Barnes Friends visit a judge

It was not a surprise that Hymie's Merion Deli was the only eatery near the Main Line that was open yesterday. I was on my way to the Barnes Foundation and needed a big lunch, so I ordered the pastrami. "Nope, not available today," my waitress said.

"Why?" I asked.

"It's Easter Sunday!" she replied.

And so even before I was within sight of the Barnes I was reminded that everything's a little different in Lower Merion, Pa. I can never quite decide if the Barnes is lovable or maddening: The El Grecos are quaintly listed as "previously attributed to," a polite way of acknowledging that they're fakes without out-and-out saying so. The Renoirs are, er, distracting at best. The temperature in the galleries yesterday was a crisp 59 degrees, a longshot from the 70-and-50 (degrees and humidity percentage) preferred by conservators. And last and best: I saw a couple of middle-aged lovebirds wearing not-quite-matching Philadelphia Flyers and New York Rangers sweatshirts. They weren't speaking South Side-ese or Brooklyn-ese -- they were speaking French. That tipped me over the edge; the Barnes is lovable. [Photo]

Over the course of my five hours at the Barnes I heard lots of conversations, but this is the one I heard most often: What's going to happen on Monday? Today Judge Stanley Ott of the Montgomery County Orphans' Court will hear arguments from the Friends of the Barnes Foundation and from Montgomery County, both of whom are asking Ott to re-open his decision to allow the Barnes to move. (After ignoring this story for months, the Philly Inky finally deigns to publish a small preview of the hearing. For more thorough looks, see Jim McCaffrey in The Bulletin or Cheryl Allison in the Main Line Times. Both ran earlier this month.) On one hand decisions such as this are rarely re-considered. On the other hand... well, read those two stories. There is cause for mild optimism.

Look for much more on the Barnes -- including about actual art! -- throughout the week here on MAN...