Art of the Steal, directed by Don Argott

Tonight at Southside Theatre at 6.30 p.m. and Tuesday at Liberty Theatre at 1 p.m.

"What is art for?" is the fundamental question explored in Don Argott's 2009 documentary, "The Art of the Steal", one of the special presentations at this year's film festival.

And just as important is the secondary question: how sacrosanct is an individual's Will; how far can one determine the fate of one's possessions from the grave?

Billed as "the great whodunit story of the art world", the film traces the fate of the fabulous art collection of Alfred Barnes from inception to acquisition by Barnes' arch art-rival, The Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Barnes, from a modest, working-class, Philadelphia family, made his money by developing a pharmaceutical, 'Argyrol', a topical anti-microbial agent. From this he amassed a fortune by the age of 35. Described in the film as "way ahead of his time", Barnes used his considerable wealth to collect impressionist and post-impressionist works. The film goes to some length to establish the value and uniqueness of the collection, "a jaw-dropping" compilation of a wide range of works worth billions now, but dismissed as "primitive", "nasty" and "most unpleasant" when it was first exhibited in the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art in 1923.

Stung by this negative reaction, Barnes determined that 'downtown interests' would never get their hands on his art. Instead, he built his own intimate museum in Merion, a Philadelphia suburb, and limited access to the public to certain days of the week, and otherwise only to students and teachers at the educational institution associated with the collection. Through a trust indenture, he attempted to ensure that the collection would be proof against commercial exploitation, and would never be loaned, borrowed or moved. As he had no heirs, he left the governing body of the Barnes Foundation in the hands of a small black college, Lincoln University.

Extensive research and archival material grounds the film. Through clips of vintage news footage and home videos, newspaper clippings and contemporary interviews, the film traces