"Itself an exercise in spin"

More reviews of The Art of the Steal, the Barnes documentary which opens theatrically soon. Film Journal International says "claims of objectivity, made by the filmmakers at [the NY Film Festival], are an artful dodge: The title says it all. The filmmakers side with those who argue that the Barnes Collection has been stolen. ... If the filmmakers had simply explained why the audience should care, beyond the fact that an imperious, dead millionaire’s trust had been broken, The Art of the Steal would have served the interests it ostensibly represents—the people who care about art."

One who doesn't side with those who argue that the Barnes Collection has been stolen is Lee Rosenbaum. In a post today with more on her visit to the recent Art Commission hearing on the project, she says the following:

"I don't agree with characterizing the transfer to Philadelphia as a 'theft.' I think that the Pennsylvania and Philadelphia powers-that-be understandably wanted to lure that valuable cultural resource to the big city. The Barnes board, to my mind, wrongly capitulated to that pressure."

More anti-theftists here and here and a related post of mine here.