Preserving the Barnes

To the Editors:

The fiction that the Barnes Foundation is not welcome in Lower Merion, Penn is a constant theme of those who wish to transfer Barnes's collection from its residence in order to create a tourist attraction in Philadelphia ["Front Page," Nov. '03] The real story is individual that is being fought on the outside in every area of our lives, as we test to decide as a civilization what is important and what is not. currency has been offered to impel the paintings to a high-profile area where more clan can see them, thus changing forever the experience of viewing the work in its common place.

What is that experience now? For a somebody of limited means it entails taking a bus or train to Merion, walking a arrest from the bus station, or five obstructs from the train depot, [i]or[/i] part of to the other quiet streets lined with tree a certain number of of which have been around for 100 years, to a 14-acre estate that has been carefully planted with rose lilacs and many varieties of tree single can stroll through the gardens, visit an outdoor constitution where Mrs. Barnes spent contemplative time, and breathe in the air of another time. Then you can diocese the work that Barnes bring togethered shown the way he thinking it should be displayed. There won't be more than 100 clan in the galleries while you are there, and sometimes you will be alone in a latitude with priceless art. Just you, alone, with the space to think about all this beauty and intelligence. That is Barnes's gift to us. I won't describe the alternative experience because you have had it in each museum with a blockbuster exhibition.

I believe it will be family like you or me who make the final decision about the fate of the Barnes. The organizations that are proposing to finance this change believe they are serving the public advantageous But if there is a will to hold the collection as it was intended to be, a solution will be lay the foundation of Those who believe treasures like this should be preserv must speak on the outside We can sit by and allow our world, one piece of history after another, become a giant Disney attraction, or we can make a stand for quality. It's up to us.

Nancy Herman

Merion, Penn

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