Viewing page 1 of 65

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

New York 22, N. Y.

April 9, 1962

To the Editor of The New York Times
Re: The Michelangelo "Pieta"

Sir:

May I voice my concern about the news published in the newspapers that His Holiness the Pope intends shipping the Michelango "Pieta" to the New York's World Fair in 1964, for the Vatican Pavillion.

To the many letters you have no doubt received on this crucial matter I would like to add mine, as an art-lover.

Although the Michelangelo marble is in the Vatican, it belongs, I might say, to the whole world - for I feel certain that there is no visitor going to Rome for the first time who does not head for Saint Peter's and bow in awe to one of the greatest masterpeices of the Western World, and this regardless of his nationality, creed or race.

The risks entailed, whatever protection in packing and shipping may be given it, are such that I definitely feel so precious a work of art should not be submitted to these hazards.  The answer that it would be covered by insurance is but a sophistry - for no millions of dollars could ever replace Michelangelo's "Pieta".

Having been one of the members of the Art Committee for the World's Fair in 1939, such problems are not unfamiliar to me.  We had at first drawn up a most ambitious list of the works of art with which we would have liked to enhance the beauty and the importance of the representation of the different schools entrusted to us.  However, our sense of responsibility and - even more - our love for the treasures we were considering made us hesitate and finally abandon the project.  The works of art which we believed of such national and international importance to the countries that owned them were accordingly removed from our program.

Though I am writing in this vein, I do want to add that we should

.../..

[[margin note]] N.Y. Times 
re: Pieta [[/margin note]]