The Art of the Steal Page #2

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But in fact,

I think he's sort of--

something of a genius.

- Dr. Barnes is

a particular interest of mine

because I'm fascinated

that this working-class man

from Philadelphia

who's boxing to help pay

his university fees,

how this young man creates

one of the most

beautiful collections

of Early Modern art

in the world.

- He was a brilliant kid

who came up out of the smoke

and became very successful.

(Music continues)

- Dr. Barnes made his way into

the University of Pennsylvania

and then its medical school.

He realized

that there was a market

for a substitute

for silver nitrate,

which, at that time,

a drop or two was put

in the eyes

of almost every baby born

in America

to protect them

from venereal disease.

- # VD is for everybody #

- The product which Barnes

had come up with

was something called argyrol.

- Barnes marketed something

that solved a huge problem

and, you know,

the wealth that would

come from it--

imagine today that you had

invented, you know,

a cure for AlDS.

Glackens,

a friend from Central High,

who was an artist,

introduced Barnes to art.

Barnes, being

this curious type,

immersed himself in it

in the same way

he immersed himself

in any other objective

scientific problem.

He wanted to learn about it;

he wanted to understand it.

But here he was

in Philadelphia.

And at that rate, Philadelphia

didn't have a clue.

- The money people

who were very conservative

did not have a sense

of progress.

Barnes did.

(accordion music)

- Well, he'd started going

to Paris,

you know, trying to understand

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,

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