Two Documentaries at the MFA-The Art Collector and Buddy

Last weekend was a bit busy being the first weekend back in town. It was overall not too humid but did rain on Sunday (I had carried around an umbrella Saturday under my sister's warning of showers that never came.)

I spent alot of time at the MFA this past weekend. I caught up on some of the short term exhibits and caught two films on two different people. One was "BUDDY" about Providence's notorious but wildy popular former Mayor of Providence, Rhode Island. The other is the documentary on Allen Stone an art collector in a piece entitled "The Art Collector" by his daughter Olympia Stone.

Both were good but in different ways. Vincent Cianci was the first non Irish Mayor and overcame discrimination and many hardships to be the longest running mayor in Providence despite all odds. Brash, confident, charming, authoritative etc. there were many adjectives used to describe this dynamic man. He was a republican (initially) who won beating the odds against the Irish Democrats for his first term. In a subsequent term, he changed to become an independent which enabled him to win yet again
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www.buddycianci.com (source)

As the longest-serving mayor in modern day history, Buddy Cianci remains one of the country's most controversial political figures. Cianci's unflagging popularity and extraordinary career comebacks have baffled political analysts and frustrated federal investigators. Brilliant and aggressive, charming and ruthless, Cianci is described by supporters and critics alike as a political survivor.

“Buddy”, the documentary, paints a complex portrait of the often contradictory and always audacious public figure who became the youngest man and the first Italian-American to become mayor of Providence, and a Republican who unseated a Democrat stronghold of more than thirty years. From his early promise as an attorney prosecuting organized crime to his success overseeing Providence's "renaissance," the film tracks Cianci's entanglements with city council opposition, union skirmishes, personal scandals, and criminal indictments. The result is a fascinating study of American local politics and a surprising tale of a man who, in the words of one commentator, "has a city as his mistress."

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Next is "The Art Collector" Allen Stone was a great documentary of the Late great Allen Stone who was very influential on the NY arts scene back since the 1960's.

Dina Maxwell Smith, 1988
Allan Stone (NY Times)
February 5, 2007 -BU LAW SCHOOL (source)
Allan StonePhoto by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders

Allan Stone ('58) the Subject of Documentary "The Collector"
Allan Stone ('58), the late New York-based art gallery owner and art collector, is the subject of the upcoming documentary "The Collector," which explores his 46-year career.
In "The Collector," Olympia Stone sets out to understand her father's obsessive passion for art. Throughout the film, viewers are guided through nearly five decades of art history, from Abstract Expressionism to Pop Art’s emergence. Artists, art dealers, critics and family members reminisce upon the life of Stone, who passed away in December, 2006.

After graduating from BU Law and moving to New York to practice law, Stone spent much of his time giving free legal advice to artists like Elaine de Kooning. In 1960, Stone abandoned a legal career on Wall Street to open a Manhattan gallery showcasing the works of Abstract Expressionists and then-emerging artists such as Cesar and Wayne Thiebaud. A world-renowned art expert, Stone influenced the rise of New York City as the center of the international art world.

The Allan Stone Gallery, located in an old firehouse on East 90th Street in Manhattan, will continue under the direction of his daughter Claudia Stone.