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December 3, 1949

Dear Dick:

Confirming our telephone conversation of December 1, and in answer to your letter of that date, may I say that the price of the RENOIR bronze "VENUS VICTRIX" is $16,000., less 10% for the museum.

I do not recall in this connection whether I gave you full data re this sculpture. Namely, that in accordance with information received from Rudier, the founder, three bronzes were made originally.

I. now at the Petit Palais, in Paris.
II. Mine (you noticed it bears this number.)
III. at the Musee Boymans in Rotterdam.

Later on three others are supposed to have been made - one went to the Belvedere Museum, Vienna another I believe to Oscar Reinhardt in Switzerland, and the third to the Museum in Copenhagen.

Thus, should my information be correct, not only would my bronze be the only one in this country, but furthermore the only available one.

If we consider also that this monumental statue is the "chef d'oeuvre" in sculpture of Renoir, it ranks among the greatest sculptures of the 20th. century. Should you have the book "Renoir- Sculptor" by Paul Haessaerts, you will find how highly the latter [[strikethrough]]ap[[/strikethrough]]praises this life-size "VENUS VICTRIX", and the space and number of important reproductions he gives to it in his publication. In the text you will also find the description of the "labor of love" Renoir spent on this great work, climaxing his career.

You will of course have noticed how very different the smaller versions of this subject are from the life-size ones, and as attractive as they may be, giving but a faint idea of the superb plastic qualities of the final work - the more so as the proportions of the different parts of the anatomy are entirely different.

Before closing this letter I do want to add that should the museum, or friends of the museum, consider acquiring several of the sculptures and paintings submitted to you, you could count upon me to re-adjust the prices quoted accordingly.

Looking forward to hearing from you,

Sincerely yours,

(Germain Seligman)

Richard S. Davis, Esq.
Minneapolis Institute of Arts
Minneapolis,
Minnesota

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