Now his Barnes Foundation is broke. Three big local philanthropies–the Pew Charitable Trusts, the Lenfest Foundation and the Annenberg Foundation–have pledged to raise $150 million to move the collection, but not to keep the Barnes afloat where it is.
Everyone from Gov. Ed Rendell to the editors of The Philadelphia Inquirer, dazzled by the prospect of a new cultural tourist destination in downtown Philly (did somebody say Bilbao?), has pushed for the move. But there are naysayers, such as Barnes students (the place was set up for education, not as a museum) and journalist John Anderson, author of “Art Held Hostage: The Battle Over the Barnes Collection.” Anderson calls the proposal “a naked power grab” by the Philadelphia establishment. Art critic Christopher Knight of the Los Angeles Times compares the Barnes to the eccentric but beloved Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston–and warns that its ambience and historical significance can’t be re-created. Don’t hold your breath for the judge’s decision; it could take weeks.
