Viewing page 100 of 172

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

COPY

CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF ART

August 14, 1942

Mr. Rolf H. Waegen
112 East 54th Street
New York, N. Y.

My Dear Mr. Waegen:

Mr. Francis and I are both extremely enthusiastic about the Renoir, Mlle Lacaux, which has come on for us to see and I may say that the Accessions Committee has also been extremely interested in it. We are in a position where we have saved a certain amount of money for an exceptional thing and it seems to us as though this comes within the scheme of the kind of picture which we would like to buy. I am explaining the whole picture to you.

One of the things which has be unfortunate in the past is that we have not had Jacques Seligmann represented in our collections by any great painting. Fortunately we were able to secure the two Mourners which were among our greatest works of art and which represent your firm at the very top in the Decorative Arts Department. We hope that we may be able to repair the first omission and we trust that you will take up with Mr. Seligmann at the first opportunity the offer we should like to make for the Renoir. I trust that he may see his way clear to make it possible for us to acquire the picture. A certain proportion of the money could be paid at once and all of it by January 1st if not earlier.

Time has unfortunately been too short for me to carry on all of the arrangements with the Accessions Committee and with you in the way that I wanted to, as I am leaving for a vacation and will not be back until October 1st. I leave the Museum at 10:30 tomorrow morning. This makes it awkward because there will be no chance for us to have an Accessions Committee meeting until after October 1st. Our offer is $40,000 and I do trust that it can be arranged. If you will send your answer to me here, and I hope that it will be an affirmative one, it will be sent to me by air mail in Wyoming. 

Very sincerely yours, 

William M. Milliken
Director.