Art of the Steal Part II: The Shameless Connie Williams

A couple of weeks ago, former State Senator Connie Williams attended the same showing of The Art of the Steal that my wife and I attended at the Bryn Mawr theater. I wrote a column about it.

The documentary is about the moving of the Barnes $25 billion art collection from Merion to Philadelphia, a city and an arts community Dr. Albert Barnes hated and did everything in his power to make sure never got hold of his collection.

Thanks to a bunch of rich and politically well-connected swells, they got it anyway.

After the film, Williams took a few questions from the floor and rather lamely suggested it was time to move on from the controversy. Friends of the Barnes activist Robert Zaller wanted to ask Williams why she was the only public office holder from Montgomery County who didn't make a statement in support of keeping the Barnes collection where it was.

Well, reader Dave Robbins brought this item to my attention in an e-mail today.

Gil:

Three weeks ago, I too attended the showing of the "Art of the Steal."

While I couldn't remain for the full post-movie post-mortem, the question sought to be tendered to Connie Williams is now answered.

One need only turn the page of today's paper to find out why Ms. Williams felt it was time to "turn the page" on the Barnes collection's move.

Yesterday's announcement that she was named to chair the Philadelphia Art Museum's Board of Trustees answers Mr. Zaller's unacknowledged question.

Dave

I think Dave is exactly right.