The Art Of The Steal @ The Manor Theatre In Squirrel Hill

For much of the time Dr. Albert C. Barnes, was amassing his collection he was ignored or insulted. Ever since controversy has raged. I just read a long story about it in a 1964 issue of Horizon Magazine.

Honestly, it's been to hard for me too fully form an opinion and this film may help.
One thing is not in doubt. The collection is one of the most important ever amassed by a private collector anywhere. Mary Thomas has a review in The Post.

"One of the world's largest collections of Impressionist and early Modern paintings, it includes 181 by Renoir, 69 by Cezanne, 59 by Matisse, 46 Picassos and seven van Goghs.

In the film, globally prominent art dealer Richard Feigen walks through a Sotheby's auction display, dismissing works as un-Barnesworthy that will later draw bids in the millions. In comparison, he cites one of the Barnes' foremost paintings, "The Card Players" by Cezanne, and muses about its monetary worth. "The Getty couldn't afford it. You would need some sort of a nation to buy it."

96th Annual @ Carnegie Museum update

Well, I still have to make it over to the museum again to really take a look at the exhibit myself. Now that the Bright and Shiny and small works shows are installed at the gallery, I have a breather so I will try to make it over next week. In the meantime, Mary Thomas at the Pittsburgh Post Gazette has reviewed the show. Mary Thomas has been a staunch supporter of Associated Artists for years.

Although Associated Artists does not see itself as one of the many guilds in the area, its structure is very similar. The guilds, and there are dozens of them in Pittsburgh, have been in place for decades. Many of the mid- and late- career artists in Pittsburgh have multiple memberships but it is unusual for the younger artists to participate in the guild system. The guilds have tried to interest younger artists in membership, at least since I have been here, which is several years now.

Associated Artists has been operating as a group for nearly a hundred years, the last forty-five or so as a non-profit. The guild's home is the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, which has seen some rough weather over the last couple years. Recently, PCA merged with Pittsburgh Filmmakers to the advantage of both organizations. PCA's campus is charming, set at the edge of Frick Park in Shadyside.

I plan to go to CMOA next week, after the holiday. Time has gotten away from me this month, with one thing or another. Stay tuned!

AAP's 96th Annual Update

Okay, just when you think that you're shouting in the wind and you can put anything out in the air without thinking about it, someone calls you on one of your more glaring oversights.

The following was posted in my comments from Tey Stiteler of the CMOA:

Hi Susan,
Thanks for your blog about the AAP show. Media as we know it is
getting smaller and smaller because of budgetary constraints, so spreading the
word through alternative methods, like your blog, is a very good thing.

The AAP has been working hard in getting coverage for the show.
There are articles about the Associated Artist exhibition in both Pittsburgh
Magazine and Carnegie Magazine this month.

It has been shown on KDKA TV,
WPXI TV, and via the links below. In addition, Mary Thomas from the Post-Gazette
and Kurt Shaw from the Tribune Review will be reviewing the exhibition for the
papers this week.

On Q will do a feature about the show on WQED TV, but
I don't know the date.

Post-Gazette hot
tickets listing

Post Gazetted
listing

http://kdka.com/kdcountry

on the Associated Artist
web site
www.aapgh.org

and on my museum's web site www.cmoa.org

Hope this helps.

Tey Stiteler
Communications Manager
Carnegie Museum of Art

Thank you for the grace of your response. I appreciate that and the time you took to reply to my post. Especially since I am but a light breeze in the roar of the wind. I did follow the links that were provided. Two of them are for listings, as noted. The one two KDKA, I don't see a reference to the exhibit. I have been known to miss things, though.

Okay, but here's the thing: why isn't the local scene behind this exhibit? This is an opportunity for local artists to have their work presented at a major museum. It is also an opportunity to participate in an objective review process that isn't so dependent on the entrenched system of Pittsburgh's art scene. The juror is almost always from out of town and doesn't know who holds key positions in the regional art scene. This is a real opportunity.

And if we really want to make Pittsburgh culturally attractive, artists need to feel that they can step up here. Artists come, they love the city, the people and the scene. But it is extremely difficult to advance a career as a producing artist from here. It's not like there aren't major collections here. And there is an amazing scene. All you have to do is show up on Penn Avenue the first Friday of each month or wander around in Lawrenceville a little. It's not like we're hiding or anything.