The Barnes opens a new chapter

Legions of journalists and a few authors of books have tried to dig up the facts about Albert C. Barnes, the eccentric art collector who made a fortune in patent medicines and ensconced his treasures in a stately house in a Philadelphia suburb. The still-raging battle over whether the Barnes Foundation should remain in its historical home or move to the city’s museum row has only heightened interest.

So far, none of the writers has had access to the foundation’s archives. But that is scheduled to change thanks to a $95,397 Humanities Preservation and Access Grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. The grant, announced Wednesday, will launch a two-year project to organize and re-house a mass of material, including art catalog writings, financial documents and correspondence.

A full-time project archivist will be hired to oversee the effort, and it won’t be easy. Barnes kept copies of all his incoming and outgoing letters, notes on hotel stationery, itineraries of his European trips, deeds for his property, maps and writings on his art education theories, as well as documentation of his vast collection.