Barnes Foundation Can Move, Judge Rules

By Staff Reporter of the Sun
May 16, 2008

Opponents of the Barnes Foundation's planned move to Philadelphia suffered another setback Thursday, when a judge rejected their request that he reconsider a 2004 decision approving the move.

The opponents, who call themselves the Friends of the Barnes Foundation, had asked for a hearing to allow them to present new proposals that they claimed would allow the Barnes to stay in its current location in Merion, Pa. The foundation, established in 1922, showcases one of the world's leading collections of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art.

The judge, Stanley Ott of the Montgomery County Orphans' Court, ruled that the Friends of the Barnes did not have standing to challenge the institution's move. In 2004, Judge Ott ruled that the Barnes could move its collection to Philadelphia, violating the terms of its charter and bylaws, in order to remain financially solvent. The Barnes has selected Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects to design its new home, in which all of the art must be displayed in the same configuration as at the current location.

"This very clear ruling ends the present distraction, and we are forging ahead with plans for the new building," the executive director and president of the Barnes Foundation, Derek Gillman, said in a statement.