It was an interesting film if for no other reason than it demonstrates the unsustainability of socialist ideals in a capitalist world. Albert Barnes's fragile ego and his Marxist sensibilities led him to create a trust which ensured that no one who could pay to see his art would ever see it. His loathing of the art establishment caused him to build a school around his collection. No one in a position to criticize it would be allowed in, only the proletariat and students who genuflected to his genius. The school was a noble idea until it came up against the Reality Principle: you can't get something (a perpetually funded art school) for nothing (not exploiting the value of the collection). An attorney named Glanton is vilified for violating the spirit of the Barnes trust, and he does indulge in some pretty creepy lawyer tricks, but the fact remains that if the art had never been publicly shown, those paintings would likely be molding in a decaying building in a suburb of Philadelphia. Although the process was hastened by greed and by the animosity of his enemies, Barnes's vision contained the seeds of its own destruction. The Reality Principle eroded it like the tide erodes a sandcastle. If it's any consolation, more people are now able to enjoy the art, and Albert Barnes, wherever he is, is beyond caring.
Review of The Art of the Steal
