The Battle for the Art of Detroit
The Documentary Podcast
BBC
4.3 • 2.6K Ratings
🗓️ 7 October 2015
⏱️ 27 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Should a city owing $18 billion sell its prestigious art collection? The Detroit Institute of Arts' collection is world famous, and includes the first Van Gogh to be owned by an American arts museum, dazzling works by Matisse and Rembrandt, a distinguished selection of German Expressionist paintings, African Art, Native American Art, art from Asia and the Islamic world. Is art still relevant even when you are broke?
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Thank you for downloading from the BBC. |
| 0:04.0 | For details of our complete range of podcasts and our terms of use, go to BBCWorldServis.com slash podcasts. |
| 0:16.0 | My name is Grace Robinson. |
| 0:18.9 | I live in Detroit, Michigan, and I'm a retired school teacher and a real Detroiter. |
| 0:27.0 | I've been to the DIA, I understand the need for culture, but I am more concerned about an individual being able to stay where they are, |
| 0:37.0 | being able to eat, being able to clothe themselves, take care of whatever they need to. |
| 0:42.0 | So I vote for the pensioner. take care of whatever they need to. |
| 0:42.6 | So I vote for the pensioners. |
| 0:45.7 | And if it meant selling pieces of art, so be it. |
| 0:50.8 | That's Grace Robinson, one of the people of Detroit who found out one day last summer that |
| 0:55.9 | her city had gone bust. |
| 0:58.1 | We have breaking news. |
| 0:59.1 | Detroit is filed for bankruptcy. |
| 1:00.1 | It is now the largest city in U.S. history. The motor city is now the largest city in US history. |
| 1:03.0 | The motor city is now the broke city. |
| 1:05.8 | Detroit has filed for bankruptcy. |
| 1:08.6 | Back now to Detroit, the fourth largest city in the US filed for bankruptcy |
| 1:12.3 | after struggling with an 18 billion dollar debt. |
| 1:15.5 | I'm Alvin Hall and when I heard the news of Detroit's bankruptcy, my thoughts went to a place in the |
| 1:21.6 | city I have always loved, the Detroit Institute of Arts, |
| 1:26.4 | or the DIA, as Grace called it. I'm standing on the steps of the Detroit Institute of Arts about to go in and look at a world-class |
| 1:35.6 | collection of art that includes Van Gogh's, Picasos, Rembrandt, Mathesus. |
... |
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