We Had to Destroy the Village to Save It

Thank you for your perceptive view of the Barnes proposed move. It is not over by any means as over 1000 members of the Friends of the Barnes work to stop the plans in their tracks. It is important for journalists like you to keep the issue in the public eye. We only need one philanthropist with $25,000,000 to make this an even fight. In the mean time there are other solutions afoot.

We much appreciate your comments as we struggle to save this rare gem of an institution. Its financial difficulties could most certainly be resolved wthout tearing the Foundation from its beautiful setting were those "powers that be" willing to consider a number of less draconian alternatives that have been proposed. It does seem to many who contemplate the proposed move with horror that power and politics have had little concern with aesthetics or the preservation of this truly unique treasure.

"Death by disembowelment" is far and away the best descripition I've heard so far of what's going on with the Barnes Foundation. The art collection is one part of an integrated whole that includes remarkable folk art and ethnographic collections, Paul Cret's gallery building, and a mature arboretum with extensive horticultural collections. There are visual echoes and cues among all of these elements. To remove the art collection would destroy the richly layered aesthetic experience that exists in Merion. The planned move to Philadelphia is a case study of how tourism can destroy the very thing it is trying to promote.

the barnes' travails are of their own making. this includes,financial mismanagement,trustee incompetence,scurrilous and unsuccessful lawsuits,against neighbors and township officials,misrepresentations of financial insecurity,while spending millions of$$ on ill advised legal machinations..the list is endless. the barnes can exist where it has been for seventy years!! this act of cultural desecration,if allowed to happen,will be a permanent blot upon the compliant,silent,art establishment,who in their hearts,know this is wrong! it is not too late to preserve it. great and powerful{and brave} people must be heard on this issue!! speak up!! posted by walter herman{barnes' neighbor}

Philadelphia's museum industry has been trying to get its hands on Albert and Laura Barnes' art collection since it was first assembled. They hope to add it to museum-row and cross-market the collection to the tourist trade. To that end the museum elite infiltrated and undermined the Barnes trust with a succession of moles who wasted the foundations resources. To say a conspiracy was involved is to minimize the collusion of money and politics. I rank the whole procedure as the greatest art theft in history. It will take the populace at large to intercede. If the Barnes move goes forward, nobody's art is safe from forceful taking by Philadelphia's museum industry.

Wm. H. Evans 5 Foxwood Lane Media 19063

I just cannot understand this desire to move the Barnes. It is the ultimate unique museum, and the experience of the viewer (even seasoned museum visitors or professors) is unmatched. One sees some of the oddest juxtapositions of famous artworks with old chests with relatively unknown works, increasing our perception of each. It is a gem in every sense of the word.

What to do about the current financial situation that makes the directors want to move? How about changing the stupidly elite rules for entry? "You didn't get a ticket in advance, sorry, there is no room for you." I talked my way in under such circumstances, and they could have doubled the allowable attendance at that time.

Welcome everyone to the Barnes, and they will come, and then you won't have to move this immovable building and collection.

As an art professor, I was in favor of changing the will to allow color reproductions of the Barnes collection. But moving the collection is one of the most stupid, willful, selfish and counter-productive things I have ever heard of.

I was a horticulturist, instructor, and greenhouse manager at the Arboretum of the Barnes Foundation for almost three years until March of 2005 and I still have very strong opinions about the lack of recognition of the Arboretum's role as part of the Foundation and of the connection Dr. and Mrs. Barnes intended the living and non-living collections to have with each other. Written records make it clear that the arboretum and its school were not only intended to illustrate and teach the art and science of horticulture but to reflect and complement the gallery and its collections. “Gallery” and “Foundation” are not interchangeable; the arboretum and its contents are as integral to the foundation as is the gallery and its contents. It has always dumbfounded me that the trustees who proposed moving the gallery contents could not or would not recognize this basic principle of the development and mission of the Foundation. The most rudimentary understanding of the intent of Dr. and Mrs. Barnes should have precluded consideration of that proposal. Whatever the multitude of other reasons not to move the contents of the gallery, the most fundamental is that separating the living and non-living collections does indeed disembowel the Foundation.

I visited The Barnes Foundation just last week. I live in Chicago and am a fan of Modigliani's paintings. It was an amazing setting to view Barnes overwhelming art collection. Entry by time/ticket provides a quiet, enjoyable, intimate experience with the art. I spent time in Philly irritated by the crowds at The Franklin Institute and the Phil. Art Museum, etc. It is beyond my comprehension that any art lover or politician could even entertain the idea of moving this jewel from its unique setting. Shame on the Governor for backing this move. Maybe the Barnes could open their doors 5 days a week to increase revenue - and make the gift shop available to people without a ticket.