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December 1st., 1939.

Dear Dr. Valentiner:

It gave much pleasure to receive your lines of November 29th., and I hasten to thank you for same.

I am particularly glad to read that you feel as you do about the appointment of Mr. Walter Pach. It was indeed a delicate position that I was placed in when the Marquis de Cuevas asked me, in view of your not wishing to continue this task next year, whom I would suggest. Only two or three names came to my mind, as it is necessary, for such a job, to be without specialization and to have a wide enough field of interest in art to organize such an exhibition without any subconscious partiality.

I also told the Marquis at the time that in view of the tremendous success you had had, the only chance for a revival of interest in a new World's Fair exhibit would lie in an entirely different program. The magnificence of the display you organized in the unrolling of the art development through the centuries, left no other choice than to adopt another formula.

In accepting, I realize that Mr. Walter Pach has assumed a heavy burden, which we all hope he will be able to carry successfully. The latter told me that he was counting on your help and that as usual you had given him every assurance of your kind cooperation.

I hope you will be able to interest Mr. Fisher as regards the Mackay suits of armor and that soon also we will hear from Mr. Tannahill about the Picasso head.

With kind regards,

Yours very sincerely,

(Germain Séligmann)

DR. W. R. Valentiner,
Detroit Institute of Art,
Detroit, Michigan.

P.S. Have you had any news about the Van Gogh?

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