Argott’s Art ArgosyBy Ed Rampell
If Michael Moore’s Capitalism: A Love Story attacks private enterprise, director Don Argott defends the sanctity of private property and creativity in his advocacy documentary, The Art of the Steal.
A Documentaries selection at AFI Fest 2009, Argott’s art argosy contends that the late Albert Barnes’ multi-billion dollar collection of Post-Impressionist paintings is being looted by the “establishment” of the so-called “City of Brotherly Love.”
The barbarians at the gates of the Barnes mansion, where the deceased collector’s canvases and an educational art foundation had been based for decades, include: The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philly’s mayor, Pennsylvania’s governor, and assorted “philanthropists” such as the Annenbergs, who appear to be wolves in sheep’s clothing and make the home of the cheesesteak look pretty Philly cheesy.
According to the doc, these aesthetic vandals are violating Barnes’ will by ransacking his privately owned collection in order to relocate the paintings to a Philadelphia main drag – you know, near where Sylvester Stallone as Rocky ran up those steps as trumpets blared -- where the assorted Picassos, Van Goghs, Matisses, etc., can be turned into a major attraction to boost tourism to Philly as a world class city. (It’s akin to moving the Huntington Library's collection to Sunset Strip.)
Standing in the way of the powers-that-be are Barnes’ neighbors, who protest turning their ‘hood into a crowded tourist attraction (think The Getty), as well as moving the artworks, plus talking heads such as the L.A. Times’ critic Christopher Knight and NAACP standard bearer and ex-presidential candidate, Julian Bond. Along the way, the struggle includes a racial wild goose chase exploiting civil rights activism.
Argott’s cleverly named doc makes a powerful case, but still, there’s something to be said about making art more accessible to the masses, instead of cloistering it in a less accessible location for the edification of rarefied elitist aesthetes.
(The Art of the Steal is scheduled to screen Nov. 4, 7 p.m.,at Mann Chinese Theater 6, 6801 Hollywood Blvd. For more information: 866/AFI-FEST; www.afi.com)
