“It’s Not Too Late To Save The Barnes!” says the poster announcing a rally tonight in Philadelphia at the Ritz 5 Theater, where “The Art of the Steal” will be premiering in Philly.
Good for the Friends of the Barnes. I hate to hazard their chances of turning things around and stopping the move this late in the game, but as I implied here on Jan. 31, they should use the documentary any way they can to rally support opposing the move.
I have since seen the movie, and I agree with what Evelyn Yaari told me then: The documentary is “an unbelievably powerful piece that makes the Parkway Barnes look toxic.” (Well, I might remove the “unbelievably.”)
The documentary also revisits the issue of neighborhood opposition to increased access to the Barnes in Lower Merion: some neighbors opposed it years ago, and the Barnes is today paying the price. But as the documentary shows, the tour buses and private cars were coming for specific occasions — the return of paintings from their worldwide tour — and were so badly managed that the complaints are completely understandable.
If you’re not in Philadelphia or New York, where “The Art of the Steal” is showing at IFC, you can find out where you can see the film at Sundance Selects, where you can also purchase it “on demand.”