An Experience

Our journey started when a friend recommended Greg and I watch a documentary called The Art of the Steal. It tells the story of an art collector, his collection (one of the best post-impressionist collections in the world), and how a man's last will and testament can be systematically picked apart and discarded for personal, political and/or capital gain. At the end of this film we were warned that the collection would be moved to a new location at the end of 2012. So this meant that we booked a ticket to Philadelphia as soon as the opportunity presented itself.

Jet lagged and sleep deprived, our plane reached the airport in time for a major snow storm, so we were rerouted to Baltimore to wait for an hour and a half. When we finally touched down at our intended destination, unloaded baggage at the hotel and found transportation to the suburb where the art currently is located, we were three hours behind our original appointment time. (You have to make a reservation for this place.) The staff of the Barnes Foundation was very welcoming, I was pleased to note. They all seemed very happy with thier jobs and I was sad to think that they were soon to be disbanded.

The museum was amazing, to put it mildly. Mr. Barnes had an incredible discerning eye for art at a time when the European impressionists were not appreciated in the states. He built this beautiful building to house his vast collection and used it to educate artists and art lovers. He even wrote a few books on his theories of art appreciation (I got one) and I was amazed to learn that he was close friends with John Dewey, the art critic and philosopher who wrote Art as Experience (also a book I own).

We did not have much of a chance to see any more of Philly in that trip, for the next day we were off to visit relatives on the east coast. But even for a few hours of looking, the whole trip was worth it! Art is an experience, especially when those who understand this are rich philanthropists devoted to making the experience accessible to the common man.