Viewing page 2 of 30

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

October 17, 1940

My dear Mr. Warner: 

You have been wanting a Marin watercolor for a long time, but you felt you could not afford one. You now have $150 to $200 and ask, could you get one of Marin's good paintings. I do not know what you mean by "one of Marin's good paintings". I do know that for $200 you can get a Marin which is very beautiful, and one which I personally would not mind having. So, if you are willing to send me $200 for a Marin and entrust me with sending you a picture, I think you will not regret your trust in me or in Marin. $200 for any Marin is lower than any Marin has been quoted for quite some time. There are few Marins that can be had, even in these times, for less than $500.

Marin is one of the rare souls one might truly call an artist. That is, an artist throughout - not only in his painting but in everything he lives and does. In time, I know, he will rank with Whitman, Melville, Thoreau, Poe and Emerson. This may sound exaggerated. But I know it to be true. I have lived with Marins for thirty-one years now. Everything he has done has come before me. Of course, selecting a picture for anyone else is always a risky business. And I rarely do it. But in this case, I feel I have no choice. So let me hear from you. Of course, I cannot afford to send you a series of Marins from which you could make a selection. And if you came to New York, seeing so many Marins as there are in my guardianship, would simply bewilder you.

Yours sincerely,

Alfred Stieglitz

for John Marin

Mr. Keith Warner
Kewar Company
Gloversville, N. Y.