Exactly one year ago I told you the fascinating story of how Philadelphia’s $25 billion Barnes Foundation art collection was moving from its longtime home in suburban Merion, Pennsylvania, to its brand new home 6 miles away in downtown Philly. The FBI were even brought in to be part of the risky relocation of one of the most valuable physical assets in American history. Combative chemist Albert C. Barnes (1872-1951) accumulated what is perhaps the greatest Impressionist and post-Impressionist art collection in the world: 181 paintings by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, 69 by Paul Cézanne, 59 of Henri Matisse and more. The works to be moved include Cézanne’s “Bathers,” Georges Seurat’s “Models,” Vincent Van Gogh’s “Postman” and the spectacular mural “The Dance II,” which Dr. Barnes commissioned Matisse to create for the original home which has now been vacated. In a recent interview, Charlie Rose sat down with the husband-wife architecture duo Billie Tsien and Tod Williams for a terrific conversation about their design of the brand new home for the Barnes Foundation collection, which they refer to as the “challenge of their lives”. The interview also provides a fascinating glimpse into their extraordinary personal and power couple relationship. You can watch it in the link below, and to learn more about the work of Todd Williams Billie Tsien Architects be sure to visit their site at TWBTA.com. And for more information on the Barnes Foundation you can visit BarnesFoundation.org. You can also read my June 2001 piece entitled “The Wall Street Journal Profiles The Barnes Foundation’s Moving Of $25B Collection“. All photos courtesy of TWBTA.
TO WATCH CHARLIE ROSE’S INTERVIEW WITH TOD WILLIAMS AND BILLIE TSIEN FAST FORWARD TO THE 18:28 MARK.
